U.S.’s NFI Supports Removal of Tariff on Vietnamese Pangasius Fish

The U.S.’s consumers will lose chance to enjoy Vietnamese pagasius fish’s deliciousness if the country continues imposing antidumping tariff on imported fish from Vietnam, according to Chairman of the U.S.’s National Fisheries Institute (NFI), John Connelly.

 

The chairman stated his point of view at the meeting with the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and businessmen on Vietnamese seafood quality imported to the U.S. Dec 14 in Hanoi.

 

He said that the U.S.’s National Agriculture Department has applied antidumping tariff to protect local fisheries industry, but adding that four U.S. departments are objecting to the tariff because they fear that Vietnam will take the U.S.’s to WTO’s court.

 

Vietnamese Deputy Minister Luong Le Phuong stressed that the U.S.’s imposition on Vietnamese pangasius fish is unfair. He said that the EU is now the biggest importer of Vietnamese seafood with 26% while Japan takes the second position with 17.8% and the U.S., 16.9%. Pangasius fish accounts for 31.8% of Vietnam’s total seafood export revenue.

 

At the meeting, Connelly also pointed out four problems the U.S. and Vietnamese seafood firms should deal with, including seafood quantity, transshipments, fish name and water-keeping agent in seafood.

 

Nguyen Huu Dung, vice chairman of Vietnam Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said that the association is willing to cooperate with the NFI in dealing with abovementioned issues. (Vietnam Economic Times)