Vietnam's tilapia exports to Brazil surge 6925% in first nine months; China farmgate prices at 5.23 to 6.95 yuan per jin in late October

In the first nine months of 2026, Vietnam's tilapia export value reached US$104 million, up 47% from the same period in 2025. In September 2026 alone, export value reached US$13 million, up 86% year on year. Three major buyers—Brazil, the United States and Saudi Arabia—together accounted for 80% of Vietnam's total tilapia export value. The above data were compiled by Phuong Linh, editor at the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

Brazil is the main driver of this round of growth. In the cumulative period through September 2026, Brazil purchased US$48 million of Vietnamese tilapia, surging 6925% year on year and absorbing nearly half of the sector's total export revenue; in September 2026 alone, shipments to Brazil were US$4 million, up 781% year on year. The United States was the second-largest destination, with US$25 million cumulatively in the first nine months, down 42% year on year cumulatively, but it absorbed US$4 million in September 2026, up 37% year on year and nearly double the August level. Saudi Arabia totaled US$10 million from January to September, up 50%; September was US$3 million, up 231%.

In other trade segments, Vietnam's shipments to members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) grew 51% during the year to US$7 million, of which Japan imported US$2 million, up 74%; exports to the EU contracted 50% in September, at US$178,000 for the month, and US$4 million cumulatively for the year. VASEP also flagged the high concentration in the Brazilian and US markets—together they absorbed 71% of total export value—as well as regulatory uncertainty in Brazil, where draft legislation on import quotas or technical bans is still under discussion.

Brazil is the world's fourth-largest tilapia producer, is scheduled to surpass 1 million tonnes of farmed fish output by the end of 2025, and will consolidate its output in 2026. At Seafood Show Latin America 2026, held in São Paulo from October 20 to 22, 2026, Francisco Medeiros, president of the Brazilian Fish Farming Association (PEIXE BR), said during a panel discussion at the Global Production Center that the country's industry is aiming for international expansion with frozen fillets. Brazil previously mainly supplied its growing domestic market and exported fresh fillets to the United States and Canada; the industry hopes to leverage existing capacity, plant automation and production expertise transferred from the poultry and swine sectors.

"We are entering a new phase, focusing on the international market for frozen fillets. We have the capacity, technology and scale, but we need to make progress in adjusting production and processing protocols to meet the requirements of different buyers," Medeiros said. He also stressed: "Fish farming is a relatively young activity in Brazil and is still in the process of maturing. We have highly automated processing plants and companies that continuously invest in technology and efficiency. The challenge is to create the conditions for all this capacity to translate into greater competitiveness." Assessing the industry's prospects, Medeiros noted: "We believe in the potential of Brazilian fish farming and in the capacity of producers and investors. Regulatory, sanitary and technical challenges will persist, but we are capable of moving forward, expanding our participation in the global market and supplying high-quality protein in a competitive way."

China is the world's largest aquaculture producer. According to industry monitoring data (Dangdangyu), as of October 24, 2026, farmgate and wholesale market reference prices showed steady upward movement both month on month and year on year: the under-1-jin (under-500-gram) size was 5.23 yuan per jin (equivalent to US$1.47 per kilogram); the 1-to-1.5-jin (500-to-750-gram) size was 6.18 yuan per jin (equivalent to US$1.74 per kilogram); and the over-2-jin (over-1-kilogram) size was 6.95 yuan per jin (equivalent to US$1.95 per kilogram).