Vietnamplus

Vietnam raked in 9.5 billion USD from exporting aquatic products in the first 10 months of this year, up 34% year-on-year.

Batches of tra fish products manufactured under a high-tech production process have been shipped to the EU, South America, ASEAN, China, and the Middle East by a company based in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) under the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recognised Vietnam as a country eligible to export Siluriformes fish (catfish, including tra fish) and fish products to the US.

Vietnam’s tra fish (pangasius) industry has been urged to strongly improve its quality so as to compete with not only traditional rivals, but also its biggest tra fish importer – China.

Vietnam earned 369.1 million USD from exporting tra fish to the US in the first nine months of this year, up 42.9 percent year-on-year.

Vietnam’s tra fish exports face an array of difficulties and challenges on the path to achieving this year’s export revenue target of more than 2 billion USD, including high anti-dumping duties, technical barriers and unhealthy competition.

A fair introducing products made from tra fish (pangasius) and seafood kicked off at the Hanoi-based Agricultural Exhibition Centre on October 6.

Vietnamese tra fish processors and exporters are worried that it will cost more time and money to put their fish on plates in the US after the country announced ahead-of-schedule food safety tests on imported Siluriformers fish and fish products.

Accurate and detailed information about the production and trade of Vietnam’s tra fish was provided to the Spanish press at a press conference held in the Vietnamese Embassy in Spain on May 25.