According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), thanks to free trade agreements, it is forecasted that Vietnam's seafood exports will increase by 10 percent, reaching above US$9.4 billion next year.

The Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on December 7 said that the export turnover of agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products in the first 11 months reached US$37.42 billion, up 2.4 percent over the same period last year, and the trade surplus hit nearly $9.36 billion, up 10.9 percent.

The EU has always been the second-largest market of Vietnam's aquatic export. When the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) takes effect, aquatic exports to the EU are expected to grow robustly.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, from the beginning of this year to now, fishery production has started to recover.

Chinese authorities might strengthen food safety inspection, supervision, quarantine testing, and traceability on imported agricultural and aquatic products that will possibly affect the progress of customs clearance of goods at border gates between Vietnam and China.

Since the beginning of this year, prolonged hot weather and saltwater intrusion have caused disadvantages for shrimp-farming areas in the Mekong Delta. Besides, the Covid-19 pandemic has also affected the export of shrimps, leading to a decline in export turnover.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), due to impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, most enterprises have suffered a decline of 35-50 percent in export orders as they were canceled and delayed or faced a shortage of raw materials.

The exporting of several agricultural, and aquatic products to China has had to temporarily halt as the border gates are temporarily closed due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, urging farmers and export enterprises to look for consumption markets amid the impacts of the disease.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, up to now, export turnover has hit US$264 billion, a short of $4 billion to achieve the export target set for this year. However, the ministry said that the country will meet that goal when the year 2019 ends.

The prices of material pangasius fish have declined for a long time, causing several farmers in the Mekong Delta provinces to suffer huge losses.