Vietnamese exporters earned US$320 million from seafood shipments in April, bringing the country’s total seafood export revenue in the first four months to US$1.036 billion, up 20.4 per cent on-year, state media said.
The Government Statistics Office statistics last week showed the value was up 7.3 per cent on month, and 28 per cent on year.
However, with the opening of new Mekong Delta processing facilities, April’s fishing catch failed to meet demand and some firms were forced to import raw materials for processing to fulfill their contractual responsibilities.
Minister of Fisheries Ta Quang Ngoc said continued seafood shortages in the first months of the year would be a barrier for export growth of the sector.
The Fisheries Ministry said it would take specific measures to maintain production targets for tra and basa catfish, seeing exploding growth in the Russian and EU markets in particular.
The Vietnamese seafood industry has seen massive growth over the last decade, and the export turnover targeted at US$3.6 billion for this year, a year-on-year increase of 7 per cent.
To achieve the figure, the country boosted exports to traditional markets like China, the US, the EU, Japan, Canada, and South Korea, and some new ones like the Middle East, East Europe, Africa, and South America.
It also focused on quality, intensified trade promotion, strengthened brand names, and enhanced capacity to forecast global prices and demand.
The Ministry of Fisheries instructed the National Fisheries Quality Assurance and Veterinary Directorate (Nafiqaved) to keep a close watch on quality, safety, and hygiene of marine products, especially those destined for major markets.
It also called for measures preventing chemical or antibiotic contamination of seafood.
Vietnam currently ranks the seventh largest exporter of seafood products globally. (GSO April Edition, Agroviet)
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