Spain is still the second-largest market for pangasius in the EU, although Vietnamese exports to the country have shown a continuous decline over the last years.
According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), pangasius exports to Spain in the year through November 2015 accounted for $44.3 million (€39.8 million), representing a 33.9 percent drop year-on-year.
However, new statistics are showing an increase of exports in the months between September 2015 and January 2016 of 13.8 percent to 34 percent compared with the same period a year earlier.
Pangasius became very popular for a short period of time in Spain, hitting import highs in 2008, but Spanish consumers lost trust in the product following broad media coverage suggesting the fish did not meet health and safety criteria for human consumption.
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