Vietnam to Tighten Control over Seafood Quality before Export
The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) will tighten control over seafood quality before export as part of efforts to protect Vietnamese seafood prestige.
Deputy Minister Luong Le Phuong said that the ministry will beef up inspections and stop licensing, or close factories whose export products are under qualified.
Phuong added that the ministry will target three kinds of seafood including pangasius fish, shrimp and mollusc products.
Vietnamese seafood is warned to be the hardest hit product under the WTO’s regulations this year as a number of countries have set non-tariff barriers to inspect seafood quality before import.
The U.S., and several other countries like Russia, Brazil, and Italy have tightened inspection on tra and basa catfish imported from Vietnam.
Meanwhile, the EU’s IUU regulations, which aim to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, will also affect Vietnamese fisheries, where fishing is small-scaled.
Vietnam is among top ten biggest seafood exporters in the world with export revenue being expected to rise 6.8% to US$4.7 billion this year. (News)
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