Vietnam is expected to sign high-valued seafood export deals with Russia by the end of this year after Vietnam proved disease-free and chemical-free seafood, said the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (Vasep).
The agreement, to be inked by the National Fisheries Quality Assurance and Veterinary Directorate (Nafiqaved) of Vietnam and the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Physio-sanitary Surveillance (VPSS), heeled the July inspection by the service to check safety standards at 20 aquaculture breeding and processing facilities in the Mekong Delta.
Eleven of those enterprises satisfied inspectors and are now licensed to export products to Russia.
The approved companies include An Giang Fisheries Import-Export Joint Stock Company (AGIFISH Co.), the SOUTHVINA (Southern Fishery Industry), Mekong Group, Cafatex Fishery Joint Stock Company (Cafatex Corp), Changhua Vietnam Seafood Co., (VINA CHANGHUA), Tuan Anh Corp, Mekong Delta Food Factory, Tay Do Seafood Enterprise, Pacific Frozen Seafood Factory, Cho Lon Seafood Processing Enterprise, and the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Seafood Import-Export Processing Company.
VPSS inspectors went to Vietnam in March to inspect the application of food safety standards in local seafood processing facilities, aiming to short-list businesses qualified to ship seafood seafood and other aquatic products to Russia.
After the initial inspection, the Russian agency banned the import of Vietnamese seafood, citing problems with food safety standards.
It issued directives in April stating that only enterprises possessing its food safety and hygiene certificates would be licensed to export seafood and other aquatic produce to Russia.
VPSS plans to continue inspections in the future.
Vietnam exported over 58,700 tons of aquatic products worth a total of US$126.3 million to Russia last year. According to Vasep, Russia is a promising seafood market with consistently rising consumption.
The country’s seafood exports in the January-July period were posted at nearly US$2 billion, compared with US$1.7 billion recorded in the first seven months of 2006.
The ministry attributed the higher export revenues to rising demand from the French, Japanese, South Korean, Taiwanese and Australian markets.
The industry now aims at over 9 per cent annual growth between now and 2010, with export revenues targeted to jump to US$4-4.5 billion by 2010, from estimated US$3.6 billion this year. (Local sources)