Vietnam's shellfish exports continued to increase in August. Photo: Le Thuy

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, in the first 8 months of 2024, the export turnover of shellfish products increased by 43%, reaching 125 million USD.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Vietnam's shellfish exports continued to increase in August 2024. In the first 8 months of 2024, the export turnover of this product group increased by 43%, reaching 125 million USD. Exports of major items such as clams, oysters, snails and scallops all increased sharply compared to the same period.

Specifically, in the first 8 months of the year, clams were the product with the largest export turnover among shellfish products with 65 million USD, up 19% over the same period. Other items such as snails and scallops reached 26 and 19 million USD, respectively, with a sudden triple-digit growth of 137% and 109%. Oysters are also a product purchased by many countries, reaching 10 million USD, up 26%.

The EU is the largest export market for Vietnam's shellfish in the first 8 months, reaching 48 million USD, up 2%.

China and Hong Kong (China) are the second largest export markets, attracting attention with 31 million USD, up 361% over the same period. This is also the market that has boosted the import of Vietnamese clams and snails in recent months.

Regarding snails, Vietnam mainly exports frozen apple snails and snails, in addition to snails, conchs and other types of snail meat. Chinese people especially like snails because they have tough, crispy, sweet meat and can be kept fresh for a long time.

The following markets are Spain (17 million USD), the US (15 million USD), Italy (14 million USD).

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, Vietnam is one of the countries with a strongly developing seafood industry, especially in the field of farming and exporting shellfish such as clams, oysters, snails, and scallops. These products not only meet domestic consumption needs but are also exported to many international markets such as Japan, Korea, the United States, and Europe.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam has over 41,500 hectares of mollusk farming (mainly bivalve mollusks) with an output of about 265,000 tons/year; of which, clams reach 179,000 tons/year. The value chain of this industry is creating jobs for about 200,000 workers.

In the southern provinces, shellfish are concentrated in coastal localities such as Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, and Tien Giang.

However, due to weather conditions this year affected by climate change and saltwater intrusion, the output of shellfish, especially clam products, is forecast to decrease sharply.

Source: Cong Thuong Newspaper