Seafood Processors Want to Import US$2Bln Aquatic Products Yearly

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) officially suggested importing between US$1.5 billion and US$2 billion worth of aquatic products yearly, the Vietnam Economic Times reported.

 

The suggestion is expected to help ensure sufficient material for local processing factories which have been faced by material shortage, and increase export revenues, the paper said.

 

VASEP, based on ratified seafood development program, said the country&rsquos offshore caught aquatic product output will be expanded to 2.1 million tons a year, while inshore output has become exhausted.

 

The association said that increasing aquaculture output is very difficulty, adding that shrimp output remains at only 350,000 tons a year, while expanding catfish breeding area causes environment pollution.

 

Meanwhile, the seafood processing industry has developed much far from aquatic breeding and catching industries. Local processing factories need 4.5 million-5.1 million tons of aquatic products for total capacity of 1.5 milion-1.7 million tons of products a year, but domestic supplies can meet only 3.2 million tons.

 

&ldquoIf we totally dep on domestic aquatic product source, seafood export revenues can not exceed US$4 billion a year,&rdquo said Nguyen Huu Dung, vice chairman of the VASEP said.

 

He said that if Vietnam imports US$1 billion-US$2 billion worth of aquatic products yearly, it can increase seafood export revenues by US$1.8 billion-3.5 billion, to US$6 billion-8 billion, surpassing Thailand, the U.S. and Canada to become the world&rsquos second biggest seafood exporter behind China.

 

The association proposed the government to slash import tariff on aquatic products to 0 per cent or 0.5 per cent.

 

The statistics by the General Customs Department showed that Vietnam imports US$200 millioin-US$250 million worth of aquatic products yearly from 70 countries and territories worldwide.

 

In 2007, Vietnamese companies imported 122,196 tons of aquatic products, accounting for more than 3 per cent of the country&rsquos total output. (Vietnam Economic Times)