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| Shrimp being processed at Fimex Viet Nam Co in the southern province of Soc Trang. This year's shrimp export value is expected to reach US$3.5 billion. — VNA/VNS Photo An Dang |
HA NOI (Biz Hub)— Shrimp export value this year is expected to reach US$3.5 billion, higher than last year's $3 billion, according to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
VASEP general secretary Truong Dinh Hoe said last year, the local shrimp industry gained a record high at $3 billion in export value, a similar figure to rice export value and even higher than other farm produce such as coffee, rubber and pepper.
However, local shrimp trading firms promoted to sell all kinds of shrimp to China because the market imported all while traditional export markets such as the US, the EU and Japan had strict standards for Vietnamese shrimp export products, Hoe said.
He said Viet Nam could gain the $3.5 billion in shrimp export value this year but tasks of the shrimp industry are to control shrimp quality and reduction of exports to China.
Le Van Quang, general director of the Minh Phu Seafood Joint Stock Company, said the state should have solutions on controlling closely quality of shrimp to avoid a situation that shrimp exports have been sent back because some firms have infected impurities to shrimp for export, according to the Cong Thuong (Trade and Industry) newspaper.
Pham Amh Tuan, deputy head of the Fisheries Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said this year, the ministry would promote control of quality of export shrimp to avoid bad effects on this key export product.
The local enterprises should meet demand on quality standards for shrimp export products in key markets of the EU, US and Japan to reduce shrimp exports to China, according to VASEP.
The shrimp industry in other countries including China and Thailand needs two years to recover after the Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS) that is an emerging disease caused by bacteria. So, local firms should get good chance to increase shrimp exports this year, Tuan said. — VNS