Ha Noi (VNA)- With the yearly revenues of 3.75 billion USD, or almost 12 percent increase over 2006, Viet Nam this year emerged as one of the top ten seafood exporters in the world.
The industry has also retained its status as the fourth largest hard currency earners for the country.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said the sector has recorded major progress in improving its product quality in the first year of the country’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) membership.
As a result, the number of enterprises recognised by highly-demanding markets such as the European Union, the US and Japan have doubled, bringing the total of the sector’s overseas markets to 130 so far.
As of November, 245 enterprises have their products available in the EU market, 321 to China, 139 in Canada, 342 in the Republic of Korea and 171 in Switzerland.
Nguyen Tu Cuong, Head of the National Fisheries Quality Veterinary Department (NAFIQAVED), said since early this year, his agency has tightened the management of food hygiene in material supply, pushed for businesses’ higher responsibility in this issue and strengthened grassroots management of material quality.
MARD said the world market is of great potential but also poses numerous challenges, especially emerging technical barriers from foreign importers being on the rise.
The ministry called for closer coordination of action between regulators and businesses to further improve the product quality as a key factor to ensure the success of the industry’s export target of 4.25 billion USD for 2008.
The sector also plans to intensify investment in bio-technology for large-scaled seafood farming, reduce import tariffs of fish in an effort to ease raw material shortage, diversify products and increase high added value end-products.--Enditem
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