Visitors at the 2016 Global Seafood Expo held in Brussels, Belgium on April 26-28. — Photo VNA

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Twenty-four Vietnamese enterprises are participating in the 2016 Global Seafood Expo in Brussels, Belgium, on April 26-28.

Hoping to increase seafood exports to the EU, the enterprises have brought famous Vietnamese products, including tra, basa fish and shrimp, to the event. Tran Van Dung, representative of the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said Vietnamese seafood businesses have prepared equipment and processing technologies to further penetrate the European market once the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement (EVFTA) comes into effect.

Alexis Fergay, general director of French seafood company NEPTUNE, said he was a loyal customer of Vietnamese seafood enterprises. He said he particularly enjoyed Viet tra and basa fish and was hoping to further expand his business partnership with Vietnamese enterprises, especially once the EVFTA was enforced.

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Karakou Pheni, a customer from Cote d'Ivoire, said Vietnamese catfish was his favourite. He said the seafood dishes presented at the expo tasted wonderful and hoped he could buy these items at supermarkets in Belgium soon

The Vietnamese Trade Office in Belgium also organised a workshop on the EU's seafood market and opportunities for Vietnamese enterprises during the event.

Nguyen Ngoc Oai, deputy head of the Viet Nam Directorate of Fisheries, said Viet Nam had improved its legal framework and institutions for fishery management following the European Commission's proposals.

According to statistics from VASEP, Viet Nam earned US$1.4 billion from seafood exports in the first quarter of 2016, a year-on-year rise of 9 per cent.

Together with the United States and Japan, the EU is an important importer of Vietnamese seafood, accounting for 18 per cent of the country's total export volume. — VNS