According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in 11 months of 2022, pangasius exports reached 2.3 billion USD, up 63% over the same period last year. Global inflation drags down the market's demand for pangasius in the second half of the year, but pangasius exports in 2022 are forecasted to set a record with a turnover of 2.4-2.5 billion USD. record sales with a record growth of nearly 80% compared to 2021.

2022 will mark a new milestone in the pangasius industry

“In 2022, the world market is unstable because of high inflation, Russia-Ukraine conflict, currency fluctuations, affecting global trade, but pangasius businesses have been proactive and flexible, turning challenges around. become an opportunity, taking advantage of the recovery of market demand, increasing export prices and limited supply of white fish, to increase market share in the US, EU, China and other markets with trade agreements. Free trade agreement (FTA) with Vietnam”, VASEP assessed.

Notably, according to VASEP, by the end of November, pangasius exports to the Chinese market reached USD 636 million, up 81% over the same period. Exports to Hong Kong reached nearly $38 million, up 46%. Particularly, frozen pangasius fillets with HS code 0304 exported to China reached US$472 million, accounting for 74% of pangasius export value to this market. Among the import markets of Vietnamese pangasius, China attracts the largest number of exporters. In 2022, up to this point, there are more than 160 Vietnamese enterprises exporting pangasius to China.

Mr. Tran Dinh Luan - Director General of the Directorate of Fisheries ( Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ) - said that 2022 will mark a new milestone for the pangasius industry after 27 years of development. Starting with a modest figure of 1.6 million USD in 1997, pangasius exports went through many ups and downs, sometimes being drowned by bad media, business orders decreased, domestic fish prices fluctuated and fluctuated. illness but also had a time of sublimation with a turnover of $ 2.2 billion. With the journey in 2022, Mr. Luan said that pangasius exports are creating a miracle when contributing nearly 22% to the total seafood export turnover.

In addition to the results achieved, Mr. Tran Dinh Luan said that the pangasius industry also needs to look back. Currently, 97% of pangasius is exported in the form of fillets (pangasius meat accounts for 60% of the total), products with low prices. added value and by-products have not been fully exploited.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Le Ha Luan - Secretary of Hong Ngu City Party Committee (Dong Thap province) - said that now pangasius is a key commodity in the socio-economic restructuring of Dong Thap province, a source of revenue. from pangasius has surpassed even rice. “ If businesses only focus on producing fish fillets, they will be limited, vulnerable to negative impacts from the market, and have a lot of inventory. Therefore, Dong Thap province and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development are very interested in diversifying value-added products from pangasius ,” said Mr. Le Ha Luan.

According to Mr. Le Ha Luan, in fact, by-products from pangasius such as skin, bones, fat, secretions, intestines... can form value-added products. But now, new businesses focus on two popular products, collagen and cooking oil, while the rest are mainly used in processing animal feed. This issue is expected to be discussed by industry associations and businesses during the first Pangasius Festival 2022, which will take place from December 16 to 17, 2022, in Dong Thap.

Also at the first Pangasius Festival in 2022, as planned, Vinh Hoan Company will publish more than 200 dishes made from meat and parts of pangasius, suitable to the taste of consumers. Domestic and export markets such as the US, EU, China, Japan... Mr. Le Ha Luan said that the business creating new products, persuading customers to show the role of leading the market, diversifying the market. output for the product.

In addition, Secretary of the Hong Ngu City Party Committee added another bottleneck of the pangasius industry is the quality of the breed, the low success rate of farming, the environment, climate change...

According to Mr. Phung Duc Tien - Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, in 2022, pangasius production is expected to reach 1.68 million tons, export turnover is expected to be over 2.4 billion USD, which is the highest peak in Vietnam. industry history. Currently, the pangasius industry continues to orient its development towards sustainable development , towards improving quality, value and export turnover, and adapting to climate change .

In order to sustainably develop the pangasius industry, Mr. Phung Duc Tien said that this industry needs many synchronous solutions such as linking and forming the value chain of the pangasius industry between farmers and businesses. Planning pangasius production areas and processing facilities and focusing on improving the quality of fingerlings; Genetic quality of some conditions such as growth, disease resistance, fillet ratio, salt tolerance...

In addition, it is necessary to promote trade promotion, forecast the situation of supply - demand; The application of new technology in production to improve the efficiency, quality and food safety of products also plays a decisive role in the development of the pangasius industry.

Businesses also need to diversify products to add value; efficient use of by-products; developing e-commerce and circular economy; building brands and developing consumption markets including export markets and domestic consumption markets.