Flanders hoping to spark interest in Belgian pangasius hub

Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT) – within the Embassy of Belgium in Vietnam – is hoping to resurrect interest among the Southeast Asian nation’s pangasius producers in a European trade hub. 

A few years ago the Vietnamese Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (Vasep) was in talks with the government of Flanders over the idea of setting up a pangasius sales office and even distribution model, Wouter Vanhees of FIT told Undercurrent News. 

However, the model in mind for such a step required a greater level of information sharing and cooperation than most exporters were able to agree to, he said. 

Now, though, Flanders hopes to tempt one or two “ambassador companies” – at first – into joining the many hundreds of global firms with European distribution centers, with its extensive logistics network and comparatively affordable office and warehouse space. 

“If just one big company sees the value in it, and invests in Flanders, we hope others will follow suit,” said Vanhees.