Vietnam Seafood Exporters Pin High Hope on Japan
Vietnamese seafood firms have much potential to boost exports to Japan thanks to high demand from the Eastern Asian country, local newspaper reported, citing an official from the Asian-Pacific Market Service under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Japan is one of the biggest seafood consuming countries in the world, where each person uses around 70.6 kg of seafood yearly, or 54.7kg higher than the world’s average consumption, Vu Thanh Ha said at a seminar in Ho Chi Minh City on June 14.
Vietnamese seafood with high quality has been favored in Japan, Ha was quoted by the Thoi Bao Kinh Te Sai Gon online newspaper as saying.
Vietnam currently ranks eighth in top ten biggest suppliers of seafood to Japan, with export revenues hitting nearly US$760 million in 2009, including US$500 million worth of shrimp, he said.
In the first five month of 2010, Vietnam exported US$290.8 million worth of seafood to Japan, up 19% on-year, the official said, citing figures from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers.
Ha, however, urged Vietnamese firms to upgrade processing technology to improve their product quality because Japan is to set stricter requirements on imported seafood.
The firms are also facing high tariffs set by Japan on several seafood times like tuna, frozen crab and octopus, he added. (Saigon Economic Times)
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