Vietnam’s earning from catfish exports may triple to US$1.8 billion next year, after doubling to a record of US$661 million this year, according to the head of Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, Nguyen Huu Dung.
Catfish exports will account for 20.65 per cent of the country’s total export revenue from seafood, estimated at US$3.2 billion.
The demand for catfish has gone up sharply in more than 65 countries and territories, with the EU, Russia, ASEAN, and the US remaining the top importers.
The EU alone accounts for almost half of the total exports. Though Russia buys only 11.2 per cent of Vietnam’s catfish exports, its imports have multiplied 15 times since 2002.
The US was the top importer but, after the dumping case a few years ago, now only accounts for 9.8 per cent.
Dung, however, reminded local catfish producers and exporters of the strict requirements relating to food hygiene, origin, and quality, and also about competition from China, ASEAN and South Asian countries.
For a stable development of catfish production, Vasep has put forward 10 solutions in the 2007-2010 period, focusing on setting up market-oriented standard system, catfish factories network, centered catfish growing zone, national brand name and protecting good catfish gene.
Vietnam’s catfish output is now less than 500,000 tons a year and the country plans to raise this figure to nearly two million tons by 2020.
Vietnam & World Economy
Vietnamese
