The total export value of seafood is expected to increase by 13.4percent to 4.8 billion USD this year, the Ministry of Agriculture andRural Development's Centre of Informatics and Statistics has announced.

World prices for many types of seafood had increased sharply since earlythis year due to a short supply, the centre said. The shrimp pricejumped by 40 percent to 14 USD per kilo in the US while tra fish filletsaw a 20 percent price jump to 3.5 USD per kilo against April prices.

The shrimp price in Japan also surged by 18 percent over the early months of the year.

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and crop failures in shrimpexporting countries, including Thailand and India , resulted inadvantages for Vietnam 's seafood export enterprises, said theVietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

In the first seven months of this year, shrimp overtook tra for firstplace in export value among Vietnam 's key seafood export products,the ministry said.

The export value of shrimp in thefirst seven months had a year-on-year increase of 22 percent to 717million USD, accounting for 35.5 percent of the country's total seafoodexport value.

The value of tra exports and tuna exports jumped by 7.9 percent and 88 percent, respectively, in the first seven months.

In that period, the total national seafood export value increased by11.6 percent to 2.45 billion USD over the same period last year.

Vietnam has exported seafood to 143 countries and territories,with the European Union being the largest export market so far. Seafoodexports to the EU reached 164,000 tonnes for 502 million USD inearnings, accounting for 24.5 percent of the country's total.

Other major export markets included the US , Russia , Ukraine , Japan , China and ASEAN countries./.