The fisheries sector is targeting an export turnover of US$9 billion in 2018 while achieving a production growth rate of 5.3-5.8 per cent compared to the previous year.

This was announced on January 16 at a conference hosted by the Directorate of Fisheries in the capital city.

The total seafood output is expected to reach 7-7.5 million tonnes, up 3.8 per cent year-on-year. Of this, shrimp output is expected to hit 750,000 tonnes, up 3.6 per cent, while that of tra fish is expected to go up to 1.3 million tonnes, or 3.9 per cent.

In his speech at the event, Deputy Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development Vu VanTam hailed the efforts of the fisheries sector in 2017. He believed the $9 billion target of export earning was within reach.

To this end, the deputy minister urged the sector to accelerate technical appliance in shrimp and tra fish farming and processing, and said ensuring quality of seafood varieties and expanding export outlets were also necessary.

Earlier on Sunday, exporters shipped abroad the first batch of seafood products from Cat Lai Port in HCM City.

The batch, which included three containers of frozen shrimps, seafood and tra fish fillets worth nearly $600,000, were exported to Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom --- three major traditional markets of Vietnamese seafood. — VNS