The Vietnam Association of Seafood Processors and Exporters said the UAE mainly exported frozen fillets from Việt Nam, accounting for around 93 per cent of the country’s pangasius export to this market.

Vietnam’s pangasius export to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reached more than US$7 million in the first quarter of this year, a rise of 67 per cent against the same period last year, statistics of the General Department of Customs showed.

Pangasius export to the UAE increased impressively in January by 2.5 times to reach $4 million before a slowdown of 31 per cent in February.

In March, Vietnam exported pangasius to this market worth more than $2 million.

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Processors and Exporters said the UAE mainly exported frozen fillets from Vietnam, accounting for around 93 per cent of the country’s pangasius export to this market.

The UAE is a net importer of seafood products and around 90 per cent of all food consumed in the UAE is imported.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the UAE consumes around 220,000 tonnes of seafood products each year with a per capita consumption volume of 28.6 kilos, higher than the global average.

The association said that there is significant room to expand pangasius export to the UAE, given this market’s rising income and rapid urbanisation. The UAE Central Bank has lifted its forecast for the UAE economic growth rate to 5.7 per cent from 4.3 per cent.

Each year, Vietnam exports about 22,000-24,000 tonnes of seafood products to the UAE, worth around $50-70 million.

Frozen pangasius fillet is the most popular export product of Vietnam to the UAE.

Vietnam’s pangasius export was estimated at $1.8 billion in 2023 and expected to reach $2 billion this year. — VNS