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| The export of Vietnamese shrimp to Japan may be stopped. – Photo talkvietnam.com |
HA NOI (VNS) – Japanese businesses are planning to import shrimp from India and Indonesia instead of Viet Nam, due to the excessively high levels of oxytetracycline (OTC) in Vietnamese shrimp.
According to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the decision was made due to the excessively high levels of OTC that were continuing to be detected in Vietnamese shrimp shipments, despite prior warnings and the public knowledge that virtually all Vietnamese shrimp exports were being tested for the antibiotic.
VASEP asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Directorate of Fisheries to strictly control shrimp cultivating areas to prevent such a situation.
VASEP's figure showed that 11 shrimp shipments to the EU and Japan were returned in the first four months of the year because of high OTC levels.
It said the number of shrimp shipments being returned by Japan had risen since it started testing for OTC in all Vietnamese shrimps.
The association also warned that Japanese importers are planning to import shrimp from the two above-mentioned countries as they have taken measures to reduce the OTC level.
Japanese importers have also guided shrimp processing factories in India to process shrimps to switch the orders from Viet Nam.
Two weeks ago, VASEP said the EU discovered OTC levels in some shrimp shipments from Viet Nam to be higher than the allowed level of 0.1ppm.
It warned that the EU would consider applying stricter measures on Vietnamese shrimp if Viet Nam did not improve the situation.
Earlier this year, the association forecast that shrimp exports could reach US$3 billion this year if the issues of breed and presence of chemicals were paid due attention.
It also warned that unless the local shrimp businesses strengthened self-regulation of OTC, they would fail to penetrate the Japanese market as well as to meet the target of making Viet Nam one of the top three shrimp exporters in the world. -- VNS