According to experts' forecasts, the shrimp industry will still face many difficulties and challenges in 2025. However, there are also more positive signs such as the recovery of some major markets (US, Japan, EU) when Vietnam's shrimp export sales all increased.

Vietnam's value-added processed shrimp products are dominating the market.

Focusing on safe production, improving quality

This year, the shrimp industry is forecasted to have more favorable conditions in production and export. The Mekong Delta as well as 28 coastal provinces and cities are entering the 2025 brackish water shrimp farming season, with farming areas and estimated harvest output increasing compared to 2024. Therefore, from the beginning of the season, appropriate farming plans for each locality; the work of controlling, handling, building disease-free shrimp farming areas and finding consumption markets are being strengthened by specialized ministries, localities, businesses and farmers...

According to the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in 2024, the shrimp industry will continue to receive the attention and strong direction of the leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, localities and the active participation of associations, unions, and the efforts of the fishing community, so the brackish water shrimp farming production results will reach and exceed the set plan. The total farming area for the whole year reached 749,800 hectares, an increase of 1.7% over the same period in 2023 (of which the farming area is mainly concentrated in the coastal provinces of the Mekong Delta, with the area of ​​black tiger shrimp reaching 628,800 hectares, an increase of 1.1%; the area of ​​white-leg shrimp farming reaching 121,000 hectares, an increase of 5%); the harvested output was 1,290,500 tons (an increase of 15.3% over the same period in 2023), of which the output of black tiger shrimp reached 338,800 tons and white-leg shrimp reached 951,700 tons. The export turnover for the whole year reached 3.95 billion USD (an increase of 14% over 2023). The strongest export markets are the United States, China and some EU countries...

In 2024, members of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) achieved success in shrimp production and processing for export. Analyzing the shrimp processing and export activities of VASEP enterprises in 2024, Ms. Tran Thuy Que Phuong, Chief of VASEP Office, said: in 2024, Vietnam's shrimp exports to markets increased by 14% compared to 2023 thanks to increased market demand, recovered purchasing power, and reduced inventories from the US and EU. Shrimp export prices tend to increase in the second half of 2024. In particular, although black tiger shrimp exports decreased by 3%, reaching only 447 million USD, whiteleg shrimp exports increased by 8%, reaching 2.7 billion USD, and other types of shrimp exports increased by 71%, reaching 710 million USD. There are 3 markets that import the most shrimp from Vietnam: China, the US, and Japan. Notably, the Chinese market has emerged as the largest shrimp import market with a turnover of 843 million USD, an increase of 39% compared to 2023. However, currently, Vietnamese shrimp only accounts for 1.5% of China's shrimp import market, so there is still a lot of room to increase export turnover to this market.

In order to improve productivity and efficiency of shrimp farming and export, recently, enterprises and specialized units have focused on producing and raising quality brackish water shrimp breeds for farming. Of which, the whole country produced 33,404 white-leg shrimp parents, 52,000 black tiger shrimp parents to serve domestic demand and export. In 2024, the whole country will import about 124,000 white-leg shrimp parents, 692 black tiger shrimp parents, 16,540 white-leg shrimp larvae, 66,000 black tiger shrimp larvae to serve seed production. In addition, coastal provinces have 1,943 brackish water shrimp breed production and breeding facilities.

In 2024, 159 billion brackish water shrimp larvae will be produced and raised for aquaculture, reaching 103.55% compared to 2023. The key shrimp larvae producing provinces are Bac Lieu, Ca Mau... accounting for about 90% of the total production facilities and 60% of the larvae output. The work of confirming farming registration and granting shrimp farming facility codes has also been given attention. The issuance of farming registration certificates (identification codes) for key farming objects according to the provisions of the Fisheries Law to serve state management (directing production, product consumption, ensuring safety in storm and flood prevention and control), and tracing the origin of products has been carried out from 2019 to present, decentralized to localities for implementation. The implementation results up to the end of 2024 have 15,729 more facilities registered and granted codes, an increase of 25.8% compared to 2023; The total number of facilities that have been granted codes is 76,811... contributing to improving the quality of breeds and serving farming.

Positive signals

According to experts' forecasts, the shrimp industry will still face many difficulties and challenges in 2025. However, there are also more positive signs such as the recovery of some major markets (US, Japan, EU) when Vietnam's shrimp export turnover has increased; especially changes in US tax policies for some countries such as Ecuador and China can be export opportunities for Vietnamese shrimp...

In 2025, coastal localities plan to stock 750,000 hectares of shrimp (630,000 hectares of black tiger shrimp, 120,000 hectares of white-leg shrimp); the harvested output is about 1.3-1.4 million tons, of which black tiger shrimp is 350,000 tons, white-leg shrimp is 1,050,000 tons; export turnover is estimated at 4-4.3 billion USD. Ms. Tran Thuy Que Phuong believes that if there is motivation to support and remove internal shortcomings in shrimp production and processing, shrimp exports in 2025 can maintain a growth rate of 5-10%, aiming for a turnover of over 4 billion USD. In 2025, China's demand for shrimp imports will increase. Along with that, the shrimp export market to the EU, especially Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium is forecast to increase, this is an opportunity for Vietnamese shrimp exporting enterprises to increase output and increase export turnover from these markets...

If there is good preparation of raw materials and investment capital, Vietnam's shrimp processing and export industry in 2025 is likely to reach over 4 billion USD as planned.

Mr. Le Van Quang, General Director of Minh Phu Seafood Corporation, also commented: after a period of efforts to implement measures to reduce production costs, the gap in raw shrimp prices between Vietnam and Ecuador and India is increasingly narrowing. The 2025 shrimp crop shows very positive signs thanks to favorable weather, less diseased shrimp, low loss rate; raw shrimp products of 30 pieces/kg, at the same time, Vietnam's value-added processed shrimp products are dominating the market... These are advantages if there is good preparation in terms of raw materials and investment capital, the Vietnamese shrimp processing and export industry in 2025 is likely to reach over 4 billion USD as planned.

Recently, at the 2025 brackish water shrimp industry development conference, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien said: In 2025, agricultural exports in general and seafood exports in particular will have many advantages when import demand in markets increases. Particularly for the shrimp export industry, to make good use of export opportunities, affiliated units need to coordinate with coastal localities to continue to synchronously and uniformly deploy from the central to local levels on tasks, goals, and groups of solutions for industry development with the mindset of aquaculture economics instead of aquaculture production. In particular, units and localities need to focus on monitoring weather developments and market demand to promptly advise and direct aquaculture production to achieve the 2025 plan targets; strengthen management and control of shrimp seed quality; Coordinate with relevant agencies to organize a peak period of inspection and audit in key provinces, facilities producing breeds, aquatic feed, and aquaculture environmental treatment products to thoroughly handle facilities violating quality and production conditions; closely coordinate environmental monitoring and warning work and disease surveillance to proactively forecast accurately and provide early warnings to people; strictly manage and control the use of drugs, chemicals, and antibiotics to ensure food safety of products along the value chain; strengthen the development of shrimp farming and stages in the shrimp production chain in the direction of high technology, applying advanced techniques and science and technology, suitable and effective for each farming method; actively coordinate to handle and remove technical barriers, develop consumption markets for Vietnamese shrimp products...

Creating favorable conditions for shrimp industry development

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, Vietnam's shrimp exports in 2025 are targeted to reach an export turnover of 4-4.3 billion USD.

In 2024, Vietnam will export shrimp to 107 markets.

According to the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in 2024, the country will have over 749,000 hectares of brackish water shrimp, with an output of 1.29 million tons (an increase of over 15% over the same period in 2023); of which white-leg shrimp output will reach over 951,000 tons, with an export turnover of 3.95 billion USD (an increase of 14% over the same period in 2023).

In 2024, Vietnam will export shrimp to 107 markets. Of which, the US, China and Hong Kong markets will increase from 11% to 39%; the Korean market will decrease by 3%; the Canadian, UK and Australian markets will increase from 4% to 33%. The US, Japan, China and Hong Kong are the top 3 markets importing white-leg shrimp from Vietnam, accounting for 23%, 13% and 11% respectively of the total export value of white-leg shrimp from Vietnam. China & Hong Kong, Japan, and the United States are also the top 3 largest markets for importing black tiger shrimp from Vietnam, accounting for 23%, 21%, and 16% of Vietnam's total black tiger shrimp export value.

In 2025, the Department of Fisheries set a target of 750,000 hectares of shrimp farming area, shrimp output of all kinds from 1.3 to 1.4 million tons (of which white-leg shrimp is over 1 million tons), and export turnover from 4 to 4.3 billion USD.

To achieve the above target, the Department of Fisheries recommends that localities allocate sufficient resources, finance, and human resources; prioritize irrigation infrastructure, electricity, and key traffic for key shrimp farming areas, creating favorable conditions for the development of the local shrimp industry. Effectively carry out environmental monitoring and warning work to promptly advise and warn farmers; guide disease prevention measures, implement technical solutions well for effective shrimp farming, and minimize damage to farmers.

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Processors and Exporters recommends: There should be effective and practical support policies for businesses and farmers such as creating conditions for capital, resolving problems related to costs of compliance with regulations and administrative procedures. There should be measures to stabilize input costs for production such as shrimp feed prices, and strengthen control of seed quality. Promote farming area codes to serve traceability; have investment policies, encourage farming other than white-leg shrimp and need to maintain the strength of black tiger shrimp farming./.

Source: Kinh Te Nong Thon Newspaper