Russia to Check Vietnam Catfish Exporters
Russian food hygiene inspectors will arrive in Vietnam next month to inspect 24 local catfish export processing companies with registered shipments to Russia.
If inspected exporters fail to meet Russia’s food hygiene standards, their export licenses will be revoked, said Nguyen Tu Cuong, director of the National Fisheries Quality Assurance and Veterinary Directorate, or Nafiqaved.
Russia will also work with Nafiqaved over an agreement on reciprocal recognition of food hygiene certificates.
“If the agreement is signed, exporters in Vietnam who ship seafood to Russia only need food hygiene certificates granted by Nafiqaved,” he said.
Russian authorities have banned companies in some seafood exporting countries, including Vietnam, from shipping their products to their country since April 24 because they are claimed not to meet hygiene standards.
Cuong said Vietnam currently has 470 seafood processors but about 154 of them had hesitated in upgrading their facilities.
Last year, Vietnam’s seafood exports to Russia increased 16 times against 2005 and accounted for 11.2 per cent of Vietnam’s total catfish shipments of US$661 million. (Saigon Times Daily)
Vietnamese
