Processing tra fish for export.

Vietnam’s Pangasius (tra fish) exports in January 2022 surged nearly 73 percent year-on-year to 213.6 million USD, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

Besides the recovery of traditional markets, the strong growth in new markets in recent times is expected to contribute to the pangasius industry’s recovery this year as well as in coming years, the association said.

Vietnam is home to nearly 120 facilities processing tra fish products for export with a combined capacity of 1.8 million tonnes of inputs per year.

This year, the tra fish export is forecast to expand by 20-22 percent compared to 2021, while the price is predicted to rise by 5 percent due to costs for breeding, logistics and labour.

Last year, Vietnam produced 1.52 million tonnes and exported 1.62 billion USD of tra fish.

The production target was set at 1.6-1.7 million tonnes and export revenues at over 1.6 billion USD this year./.