Such a decline contributed to a 16 percent reduction in the six-month aquacultural exports, which stood at around 3 billion USD.
Giant US and European buyers have traditionally had higher demand for shrimp around June, but this year has proved the opposite.
Vietnam earned just 48 million USD from shrimp exported to the US in May, sliding 46 percent from 2014. Similar drops were also recorded in ASEAN, Japanese and Australian markets.
European clients have been preferring shrimp from America for its preferential tariffs.
Mr Nguyen Hoai Nam also pointed to a downward trend in prices and a surge in the global shrimp supply as a remedy for early mortality syndrome, a disease that kills shrimp before it reaches marketable sizes, was implemented by a number of active exporters worldwide.
These factors have led to difficulties in obtaining contracts, he said, saying meeting the year’s target of 3.9 billion USD in shrimp shipments, matching that of 2014, would be a success./.
