The news of Seafood Trade voted the 10 outstanding points of Vietnam fishery in 2009 as followings :
1. The first time after three years, seafood export has the negative growth: the first time from 1997 till now, seafood export in each month has constant negative growth
compared to the same period of last year due to the finance crisis making the need of consumption in main markets and because the domestic materials reduced strongly, the first eleven months of year, seafood export of Vietnam was 1.106.849 tonnes, with 3.877 billion USD in value, reducing in turn 3.3% and 7.4% compared to the same period of last year. The export turnover estimated in the whole 2009 will be over 4.2 billion USD, reduce about 6.6% compared to 2008
2. The crisis of seafood processing materials made the price increase : 2009 is the year of crisis in lack of materials of the main export seafoods of Vietnam. The output of raising seafood as shrimp and Pangasius reduced because the farmers were in loss of revenue
in 2008, the raising areas reduced in 2009, besides the reason that the input cost increased strongly as increasing of feed. The output of exploiting seafood also reduced strongly due to impact of big storms, increase of petrol cost and the event of China’s ban on sea also influenced significantly
3. Russia imported Vietnam seafood again : after considering the methods that Vietnam applied in ensuring seafood quality and safety, the products of fishes and export seafood into Russia, VPSS permitted to import shipments of fishes and seafood of 30 Vietnam enterprises. Limitting numbers of enterprises having right to export is the main reason making exporting to this market reduce strongly compared to the same period of last year. Untill ending of November 2009, this market imported 46.344 tonnes Vietnam seafood, with 80.68 million USD in value, reduced nearly 60% compared to the same period of last year, in which Pangasius was up to 80% turnover with 63.9 million USD, reducing 63% compared to the same period of last year.
4. The Pangaisus was “ smeared” by media in some markets : in 2009, the press of some countries such as Italy, Spain, Norway, Middle East and New Zealand informed dishonestly to make lower the Vietnam Pangasius, this influenced to consumers’ psychology in these countries and surround countries, making the need of consumption for this product reduce
5. The Farm Bill 2008 of America caused a lot of controversy: According to this bill that will be effective at the first of January 2010 will influence so much to exporting Pangasius of Vietnam. First of all, if Pangasius of Vietnam is considered as Catfish, it will be the object in management of this bill ( according to Farm Bill 2002, Pangasius of Vietnam is not called Catfish – the common name for catfish, it belong to pangasius’ origin). Second, this bill had a article with name “ equivalent policy”, meant that the countries exporting catfish to America had to satisfy the equivalent conditions with America for law, capacity to make law, controling the producing capacity…Therefore, in case the US department of Agriculture ( USDA) said that the industry raising and processing Pangasius of Vietnam will be banned to export to America, not including being inspected, monitored constanly of USDA. The Farm Bill 2008 also pays attention to using labor in producing agriculture products exporting to America market.
6. the government approved the project of developing production and consumption Pangasius in the Mekong Delta untill 2020. The target for this project was development of producing pangasius untill 2010 to gain the fish materials’ output 1.5 million tonnes, export products 2.2 billion USD ; Untill 2020, the output of fish material will be 2 million tonnes, export products will be 900 thousands tonnes, the value of turnover will be 3.0 billion USD
7. The campaign : “ Say No with the shrimp with impurities injection” : On July 29th 2009, in Ca Mau province, The Vietnam association of seafood exporters and producers organized the enterprises conference “ Say No with the shrimp with impurities injection ”. The conference dicussed and unified to condemn strongly the acts of injecting impurities, circulate material of impurities injection shrimp and consider that this is the acts violating laws, causing damage for Vietnam shrimp industry enterprises community and farmers, influence to prestige and the quality of Vietnam shrimp in the world market. The result is the quality of shrimp material is inhanced clearly, 70-80% shrimp material can process to become high quality products , norm of production turned back the stipulated norm…
8. the anti-dumping tax of shrimp reduced nearly 0% : on September 8th 2009, the final result of anti-dumping tax for Vietnam fozen shrimp importing into America in the period from February 1st 2007 to January 31st 2008 is announced by department of commerce ( DOC ) that it reduced nearly 0%. For this, the anti-dumping tax for three obligatory defendants consist of : Minh Phu Corp, Camimex and Phuong Nam, all of them reduce nearly 0%
9. Ben Tre oysters received certificate MSC : On November 3rd 2009, the industry of exploiting oysters in Ben tre province was officially certificated MSC by management of sea Council ( MSC ), it becomes the first fish industry of Vietnam and Asia area given this certificate. With MSC’s certificate, Ben Tre oysters will be used the MSC logo and have many opportunities to penetrate to world market
10. IUU regulation of EU was effective from 1/1/2010 : According to regulation 1005/2008 on 09/29/2008 of EU Committee, from 01/01/2010, EU will apply IUU regulation to require all of shipments of exploited seafood need a certificate of exploiting seafood, lacking of it will not be permitted to export to EU. To help seafood enterprises and farmers understand and do this regulation, VASEP cooperated with Nafiqad, the Agriculture and rural development department propagandas information, organize conference to train for enterprises, farmers, agencies and local offices for the problem revelant to regulate and do this regulation. In December 2009, the Agriculture and Rural development gave decision of 3477/QĐ – KTBVNL and 3720/QĐ – BNN – KTBVNL to issue the regualtion to certificate exploit and export seafood into EU market in order to guide to do this regulation
Source: VASEP
Translated by Vietfish Community
