Vietnam to Ship 1st Batch of Catfish to Russia late April
Vietnamese companies will ship its first batch of tra catfish to Russia on April 29, 2009 after the country agreed to resume import of Vietnamese seafood, according to Duong Ngoc Minh, head of the catfish export steering board.
Currently, 30 Vietnamese companies are allowed to export seafood to Russia, 10 of which will export fish, 12 will export dried seafood, 6 to export surimi and 2 to export shrimp.
Russia had banned import of Vietnamese seafood in late December 2008. Just as the country decided to resume the import, Vietnamese companies signed contracts to export 20,000 tons to catfish.
The companies expected to raise the import volume to 100,000 tons worth US$200 million by the year’s end.
Russia said it may raise the catfish import volume from Vietnam to 200,000 tons in 2011 if the fish meets its food and hygiene requirements.
Minh said Vietnamese companies will seek reasonable export price and retail price at Russia market in order to ensure benefit for Mekong Delta farmers.
Russia has also set up floor price for Vietnamese catfish at Russia market in which importers are not allowed to sell the fish below RUB78 (US$2.3)/kilogram. (Saigon Liberation)
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