China remains potential market for Vietnams tra fish exports: VASEP

CAN THO – China will remain the country’s greatest potential tra fish buyer over the next two years despite its strict regulations on tra fish imports, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

A farmer feeds tra fish at a farm in the Mekong Delta – PHOTO: TRUNG CHANH

VASEP Deputy General Secretary Nguyen Hoai Nam has sent a notice to the Vietnam Directorate of Fisheries assessing the advantages and disadvantages of tra fish exports to China.

Accordingly, VASEP pointed out that due to China’s higher requirements for the product, China will continue to be considered a major importer of tra fish from Vietnam in 2019-2020.

“Geographical proximity and convenient transport make it easy for Vietnamese enterprises to export tra fish to the northern neighboring market,” Nam said.

Vietnam’s exports of tra fish to China, including Hong Kong, have grown 30%-88% over the 2015-2018 period.

Vietnam earned US$338 million from tra fish exports in 2016, surging by 88.7% against the US$195 million earned in 2015. Also, the country’s tra fish exports to China and Hong Kong generated over US$445 million in revenue, up 34.8% compared with the figure in 2016.

Further, China and Hong Kong spent some US$438 million purchasing Vietnamese tra fish over the first 10 months of 2018, soaring by 30.6% year-on-year.

Nam, however, said that China has yet to become a stable market for Vietnamese exporters. “Tra fish exports to the neighboring country are seeing an upswing, but the majority of private firms selling tra fish to the Chinese market have failed to research this market or take into account customers' preferences to balance prices and ensure adequate supply.”

In addition, regulations imposed by China, including the strict enforcement of quarantine rules, have negatively affected Vietnam’s fisheries exporters.

Also, Chinese roadway border customs has enhanced its supervision and surveillance of import-export activities, according to VASEP.

To best exploit the Chinese market in the coming period, VASEP proposed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development consider applying quality management practices by testing food and granting food safety certificates before the products are exported to China.

Besides this, it is necessary to tighten control over goods being temporarily imported into Vietnam for re-export later, which minimizes damage to the country’s manufacturing and export activities.

In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development should closely govern the informal export of tra fish.