In 2018, pangasius export to the US market reached US$549.4 million, up 59.5% over the same period last year.
At the same time, exporting pangasius to China still maintained positive growth rate of 38 - 132% compared to the same period in 2017. Many predictions were made, exporting pangasius to the US may increase at positive double-digit growth compared to the previous year and continue to stand in the position of the second largest export market of Vietnam’s Pangasius export enterprises. However, since the second quarter of 2018, in August 2018, Pangasius exports to the US reached the peak export of the year with the value of nearly 66 million US$, exceeding the exports to China 23.2 million, up 256 % compared to August 2017. In the following months in the fourth quarter, Pangasius exports to the US continued to grow at a high level from 92 to 152% compared to the same period last year.
With a steady increase and bigger growth, up to the end of October 2018, the US market has returned to the No. 1 position of Vietnam Pangasius export. There were three major factors promoting catfish exports to the US market in 2018. First of all, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) issued a preliminary conclusion of the 14th anti-dumping tax review (POR14) for the period from August 1, 2016 to July 31, 2017 for Vietnamese Tra and Basa fish products exported to the US market. These taxes were much lower than the final result of the POR13 review of US$3.87/ kg. Secondly, the fact that FSIS recognized Vietnam's catfish control system equivalently to that same system in the US. Finally, the trade tensions between China and US were also the third opportunity for Vietnamese Pangasius to gain market share from Tilapia into a big importer such as the US.
Currently, Vietnamese pangasius export enterprises continue to wait for the results of the US recognition of the official recognition of Vietnam 's export of Siluriformes fish and fish products into this market.
