Shrimp processed for exports. Despite rosy seafood export growth in the first seven months, Vietnamese enterprises still face a line-up of hurdles in the remaining months of the year. (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) – Despite rosy seafood export growth in the first seven
months, Vietnamese enterprises still face a line-up of hurdles in the remaining
months of the year, including input material quantity and quality and barriers
from import markets, heard a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on August 28.
According to General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters
and Processors (VASEP) Truong Dinh Hoe, after a slight expansion of 5 percent
in the first quarter of the year, mostly spurred by tuna, cuttlefish, octopus,
Vietnamese shipments continued to soar over 10 percent in during April-June and
30 percent in July.
Total Vietnamese seafood export in the seven-month period ending in July
mounted to 4.4 billion USD, a year-on-year surge of 17.3 percent, Hoe stressed.
With such gain, VASEP forecasts that total seafood shipments will reach 8
billion USD for the whole year, up 14 percent from last year’s figure, thanks to
key exports like shrimp, tra fish, tuna, cuttlefish and octopus.
However, experts said that major challenges, such as high anti-dumping duties
and the US inspection programme, require domestic exporters to get constant
updates to have appropriate export plans, especially the adaptation to the
market fluctuations.
At the conference, VASEP put forth activities to overcome trade barriers and
build trade mark for Vietnamese tra fish, promote international cooperation and
the domestic sale channel as well as develop added value goods.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam said
that the ministry is making a beeline to realise the Government’s programme to
build national trade mark for shrimp and tra fish.
In addition, the ministry is collecting suggestions from specialists to amend the
Vietnam Fisheries Law to make it much more suitable for the sector’s business
and production in the new context.-VNA