August 11, 2014
Vietnam''s share in international seafood market grows
Vietnam''s seafood products are seeing alarger share in the global market.
The development is evidenced by a positive growth in exports to both traditional and new markets.
In the first seven months of 2014, the country''s seafood exports picked up 24.5% from a year earlier to US$4.2 billion with the US, the EU, Japan, South Korea and China as top importers.
Such a pace was fuelled by strong shrimp shipments which saw double-digit growth in several markets, said the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP). Shrimp exports to the US and South Korea even posted three-digit increases.
In the first half of 2014, white-legged shrimp brought home US$1.06 billion, a rise of 133% compared to the same period in 2013.
Shrimp exports for the period almost reached US$1.8 billion, an on-year increase of 62%, and accounted for 49.5% of total export revenues from seafood products.
Nguyen Huy Dien, the deputy head of the Directorate of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, attributed the achievement to stable material supply and good control over shrimp diseases.
Rising demand also pushed the export of other kinds of crustacean, with squid and octopus up by 14% - 21%.
Meanwhile, Vietnam''s efforts to ensure the quality of its products have paid off. To meet strict quality regulations by importers such as Japan, the US and the EU, relevant agencies have closely monitored trading and the use of substances in aquaculture. They also aided farmers with professional techniques, and imposed tighter rules on cultivation.
At present, some 100 tra fish farms, covering more than 2,800 hectares of water, about 40% of Vietnam''s tra fish farming area, have received sustainable production certificates such as VietGAP, ASC, BAP and SQF 1000/2000 CM. Notably, 2,000 hectares of such have been confirmed as meeting GlobalGAP standards.
All frozen food processing companies in Vietnam have fulfilled the national food safety standards and are operating under the HACCP quality management system, eligible for exporting their products.
Among them, 415 (or over 73%) seafood processing plants in the country are qualified for shipping to Europe.
Notably, Vietnam is piloting a tuna production chain following Japanese standards in three central provinces, namely Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa.
The shipment of seafood products has also been assisted by trade promotion in potential markets as well as active negotiation with foreign partners to enhance cross-border activities and deal with trade barriers.
VASEP predicted that aquatic exports will continue the upward trend in the third quarter to hit US$2.1 billion, including US$1.2 billion from shrimps, as foreign demand is expected to increase in the holiday season at the end of 2014.