Hanoi (VNA) – With recent rosy signs,Vietnam’s aquatic product exports are expected to hit 10 billion USD this year,experts have said.

The country’s major markets like the US, Japan andthe Republic of Korea are recovering, with the most positive signs seen in tra fish (pangasius) exports, according to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentPhung Duc Tien.

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters andProducers (VASEP) said tra fish exports in September recorded positive growthfor the first time since the beginning of this year, at 1% year-on-year compared with sharp decreases previously.

Apart from the EU with double-digit growth in themonth, members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-PacificPartnership (CPTPP) such as Japan, Mexico and New Zealand also reported hikesin this regard, ranging from 10% to 70%.

For Japan, after continuous decreases since March, trafish exports to this market bounced back last month.

In shrimp exports, the drops have been curbed,with the revenue standing at 2.5 billion USD between January and September,down 26% year-on-year. The US remained Vietnam’s biggest shrimp importer,followed by China.

VASEP forecast that total aquatic product exports in2023 could reach about 9.1 - 9.2 billion USD, down 16% from the previous year.

Tien stressed the need to take solutions to reduceproduction costs, raise price competitiveness, and ensure food hygiene tooptimise opportunities for aquatic product exports in the time ahead./.