Currently, Vietnamese tra fish products are being sold in 128 markets, nine markets fewer than last year. — Photo vtv

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — The creation and development of a powerful brand name would help the tra fish sector secure a firm foothold in export outlets, especially in the European Union (EU), experts told Vietnam News Agency.

Deputy Head of the General Department of Fisheries Pham Anh Tuan said the EU was an important market for the tra fish industry. The recent reduction in imports from the market reflected an ongoing economic recession, but EU countries still needed Vietnamese tra fish products in the long run, he added.

Further, Alfons van Dujivenbode from the EU's Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries said European customers were concerned about genuine nutritional information and ingredients of the product on labels and packaging, including codes to trace the origins of products from Vietnamese processing and export firms.

Determining optimal pricing is also important, according to Director of the Cleaner Production Centre under the Ha Noi University of Science and Technology, Le Xuan Thinh.

He suggested businesses studied technology transfers to farmers to reduce production costs, noting that up to 80 per cent of food material for tra fish were imported from overseas.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Viet Nam Fisheries Association Nguyen Viet Thang recommended enterprises diversify processed products to increase their competitiveness.

Thang highlighted the need for the tra fish industry to satisfy consumer requirements to stand firm in both less demanding and more demanding markets.

Currently, Vietnamese tra fish products are being sold in 128 markets, nine markets fewer than last year.

According to the General Department of Customs, seafood export turnover had reached over US$ 3.84 billion, as of August this year, with shrimp, tra fish and bivalve mollus being staple products.

As of mid-July 2015, the tra fish sector had grossed $814.67 million from exports, a year-on-year decline of 8.8 per cent.

Major markets, such as the US, EU, China, other ASEAN member states, Mexico, Colombia, Canada and Australia, made up over 72 per cent of the sector's total export value.

Among the markets, only the UK increased its imports of Vietnamese tra fish to $25 million, up 41 per cent over the same period last year. — VNS