The seafood industry
in Vietnam is relatively young. The first factory
of the Vietnamese seafood processing industry
was established in 1957. Gradually, more than
10 seafood processing factories were established
by the early 1980's, with a combined export
value of $ 30 million. In the initial period
of the Vietnamese seafood industry, subsidy
mechanism reduced business efficiency and exports.
Today, Vietnam
is aggressively boosting its seafood exports
and both its aquaculture and wild fisheries.
During the first four months of 2001, production
volume increased 12%, and export value in U.S.
dollars increased 62%. Though April, the country
produced about 670,000 tons of which 220,000
tons were from aquaculture.
Export value
for this period reached nearly $500 million.
Vietnam expects the total value of seafood exports
this year to be $1.6 billion. Two major export
species are shrimp and catfish. Both Thai and
Japanese firms have invested heavily in Vietnam
fishery projects.
In the first
two months of this year, Vietnam exports of
shrimp to the U.S. have totalled about 1800
tons, more than triple the amount from the previous
year.
Vietnam has boosted
its seafood exports to US$ 1.47 billion. This
means an increase of 50 per cent compared with
1999.
The country reported
a seafood output of 1.9 million tons, 100,000
tons more than 1999, including 727,140 tons
of raised fish and shrimp.
Export turnover
to the US has increased by 2.4 times to make
the US the country's second biggest seafood
buyer, reaching $300 million and accounting
for 22 per cent of total exports. Vietnam is
the biggest fresh-water fish exporter to the
US where Basa Mekong and tra fish are popular.
Japan remained
the biggest market, consuming 33 per cent of
Vietnam's seafood export. China was the third
market at 19 per cent and the European Union
(EU) consumed 7 per cent.
Last year the
EU included Vietnam into its first list of seafood
exporters and 49 domestic enterprises so far
have met both quality and hygienic requirements
to export to the EU. Several froze tuna suppliers
have recently received their EU approval number.
Ninety seafood
processing enterprises are using the US' quality
and hygiene control standards (HACCP) in their
production. Fifty-one enterprises have been
recognized to meet Vietnam's own hygiene standards,
making up only 40 per cent of seafood processing
bases in Vietnam but producing 70 per cent of
total seafood exports. Some 60 per cent of seafood
processing bases have yet to meet these standards.
The Vietnam Association
of Seafood Export and Production (VASEP) is
encouraging small enterprises to cooperate in
opening stalls in international seafood trade
fairs in the Boston, European Seafood Fair in
Brussels, Japan and China.
The Ministry
of Fisheries targets to record seafood export
turnover of $1.5 billion this year, $2.5 billion
in 2005 and $3.5 billion 2010.
The major difficulties
facing fishing enterprises is the shortage of
capital to upgrade the fishery infrastructure
and processing facility and for training workers.
The sector needs $850.6 million in the next
five years, including $679 million for developing
fishing and aquaculture and $90 million for
improving processing bases.
By:
Siam
Canadian Foods Co., Ltd.
9th Floor, Suite 283/44, Home Place Office Building.
283 Thonglor 13, Sukhumvit 55
Kongton Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110,
THAILAND
Call us at +66-2-185-3311
Fax: +66-2-185-3317
Email us at info@siamcanadian.com
