Vietnam Considers Seafood Material Imports This Year
The Minister of Fisheries Ta Quang Ngoc has instructed functional bodies to consider importing seafood materials to help Vietnamese seafood processing firms calm the current input shortage of aquatic products.
Import volume of seafood materials should be carefully calculated so as to secure domestic aquaculture activities, Ngoc said.
Vietnam plans to annually spend US$190 million importing seafood from now till 2010, representing a rise of 8-10 per cent.
Seafood imports come from 40 countries and territories throughout the world, Asian countries being the main supply source. India provides 26 per cent of the imports, China 18 per cent, Hong Kong 9 per cent, ASEAN countries 18 per cent, and Taiwan 6 per cent.
Domestic seafood processors are calling on the government to phase out import tariffs on seafood materials, which have been seriously limiting their production.
Seafood imported into Vietnam is now taxed at a high rate of 30 per cent, discouraging local processors from importing more seafood materials even though they are in crucial need of input aquatic products. (Youth)
Vietnamese
