Vietnamese aquatic products are currently on display at nearly 40 stands at the 20 th European Seafood Exposition (ESE) that opened in Brussels , Belgium on April 24.

Nguyen Huu Dung, the Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said this year Vietnamese stands are more professional, making it easier to hold meetings and conduct negations.

Vietnamese businesses have brought a lot of value added products to the exposition, said Dung.

Vietnam will take part in an array of activities on the sidelines of the exposition, including seminar and forums, to promote Vietnam ’s fisheries industry, he added.

On April 25, the Vice President of the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee Struan Stevenson, met a delegation from Vietnam ’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and representatives from VASEP.

They discussed the possibility of more cooperation and support in many fields to increase the quality of Vietnamese seafood exports and help the country expand its share in the European market.

Stevenson suggested that Vietnam boost its export of basa fish to the European market as it is one of the country’s strengths and European consumers prefer products made from this fish.

He said that 600,000 tonnes of Vietnamese basa fish were shipped to EU in 2011 and Vietnam ’s aquatic product exports to the market rise by 30 percent on average annually.

Later the same day, Stevenson and the Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium Pham Sanh Chau, visited the Vinh Hoan Corporations stand, which won the best retail product award at last year’s exposition.

The annual exhibition, the largest of its kind in Europe and the most important event for the global fisheries sector, gathers more than 1,600 companies from 70 countries and territories.

It will last until April 26.-VNA