Tra fish processed for exports (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s seafood exports to China are expected to risein the second half of this year to reach the 1.2 billion USD target for thewhole of this year as China’s seafood demand is on the rise, and the escalatingUS-China trade tension is likely to create as an opportunity for Vietnameseexporters to increase their market share in China.
The Southeast Asian country saw the value of its seafood exports to China fallduring January-June, owing to tightened inspections by Chinese authorities. Inthe six-month period, shipments dwindled 2.3 percent to 572 million USD, ofwhich value gained from shrimp exports decreased nearly 5 percent. Meanwhile,the export revenue of tra fish and tuna rose 2 percent and 183 percent,respectively.
According to General Secretary of the VietnamAssociation of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) Truong Dinh Hoe, Chinesecustoms has tighten the trading of seafood products via unofficial channels,and enhanced inspections for those passing through official channels since May1 when it took the charge of food safety management for imported products.
In the meantime, many small businesses were lacking the information, and werenot well-prepared for the ban on exports via unofficial channels.
Authorities of both nations have already agreed that seafood exported to Chinamust be produced by companies that are certified by Vietnam’s NationalAgro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (Nafiqad). Besides,Vietnamese exporters must present a letter of certification on food safetygranted by the Nafiqad for their batches.
The Nafiqad and the Chinese General Administration ofCustoms update and inform each other about qualified producers and exporters. TheChinese customs also demands that Vietnamese seafood must be in the list of 120species which are allowed to be exported to China.
Furthermore, to enter the Chinese market, exporters mustshow quarantine certificates, certificates of origin, and packaging informationin both English and Chinese as well as in line with China’s standards.
Several seafood exporters did not have a deep insight into the requirements,that is why their products failed to break into the market. The VASEP saidVietnamese fishermen have suffered a lot as their dried squid products have notbeen allowed to be sold to China via official channels.
To break the deadlock, besides understanding China’s import regulations,Vietnamese businesses should improve production facilities, better food safetyand hygiene so that their seafood products are eligible to penetrate into theChinese market, Hoe pointed out, stressing shipments via official channels mustbe prioritised to avoid risks in payments as well as cargos’ quality.
Even if producers are able to enter the market, they will face tough seasahead. The higher speed of devaluation of the Chinese yuan than the Vietnamesedong against the US dollar is another challenge for the Vietnamese seafoodsector as it will make made-in-Vietnam products become more expensive thanthose produced in rival nations like India and Ecuador.
Besides, Chinese consumers have preferred high-quality products that meetstandards of others choosy markets like the US, the EU and Japan.
Therefore, many experts said it is hard for Vietnamese exporters to reversetheir exports to the market in short term.-VNA
VNA
