Deputy Minister requests efforts to remove IUU fishing warning
Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien has asked the Directorate of
Fisheries to pool all possible resources and take synchronous measures to soon
remove “yellow card” warning on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU)
fishing.
At a conference to review the directorate's performance in 2021 and launch its tasks for next year in Hanoi on December 24, Tien hailed the directorate for contributing to the
growth of agriculture and rural development sector this year.
The total aquatic output was estimated
at 8.73 million tonnes this year, up 1 percent annually. Export earnings rose
by 5.7 percent year-on-year to 8.89 billion USD, surpassing the plan by 4.6 percent.
Sixteen out of 28 provinces have granted
certificates of origin to caught seafood products, mostly those in
the south central, southeast and southwest, in service of exports to Europe.
This year, 3,104 certificates were granted to 41,085 tonnes of aquatic products
of various kinds.
As of the late November, 98
fishing vessels and 775 fishermen in 60 cases were arrested in overseas waters,
down 32 percent year-on-year.
Deputy General Director of the
directorate Nguyen Quang Hung said in the near future, the directorate will
direct growing aquatic products with economic value, develop linkage chains, ensure food safety and hygiene.
It will also work closely with
localities to instruct farmers how to catch seafood at sea by chain to save
cost and improve efficiency, he said./.