U.S. bound tra fish shipments to undergo strict inspections

Workers process tra fish at a local seafood company in this file photo - PHOTO: TRUNG CHANH

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on August 15 issued a decision ordering inspections of tra fish exports to the U.S. following America’s decision to inspect all imports of tra fish from Vietnam.

Decision 3379/QD-BNN-QLCL, which will take effect on September 1, aims to help domestic exporters effectively control tra fish quality before being exported stateside, and reduce the proportion of shipments returned by this market.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced in early July to inspect all shipments of tra fish from Vietnam under a mandatory inspection program starting from August 2 instead of September 1, 2017.

The agriculture ministry’s decision includes complete and strict regulations. In particular, tra fish products will have to undergo pre-shipment inspections to test 85 indicators in antibiotics, 106 indicators in plant protection substances, four indicators in dyeing substances, 17 indicators in metal contents and eight microbiological and chemical indicators.

Exporters will be granted export certificates to ship their products to the U.S. if they meet all of the above criteria.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), there are currently 14 firms eligible to ship tra fish to the U.S. but only three of them – Hung Vuong, Vinh Hoan and Bien Dong – frequently export the fish to this market.

In the first half of 2017, the country’s tra fish exports to the U.S. totaled US$176.4 million, falling by 5.7% compared to the same period last year.

Some tra fish exporters have turned to other markets to offset the fall in U.S.-bound shipments. In the year’s first half, tra fish exports to Latin American countries, including Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, grew 31%, 46% and 16% year-on-year respectively. Tra fish exports to Saudi Arabia rose nearly 13% year-on-year.

VASEP forecast tra fish exports to these markets will continue to pick up in the second half of 2017. Besides, China is expected to remain one of the top importers of tra fish from Vietnam.