Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The domestic fishing industry should promoteproduction of tra fish and shrimp by the end of this year to takeadvantage of the export potential of both commodities on the world market,according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

The ministry has issued directions to strengthen productionof tra fish and brackish-water shrimp during the rest of the year.

The directions aim to take advantage on the global market by maintainingproduct quality, protecting the brand of Vietnamese tra fish andminimising technical barriers. The ministry asked the authorities of the CuuLong (Mekong) Delta provinces that farm tra fish to focus on implementing itssolutions moving forward.

Local authorities should manage production conditions to ensure the qualityof tra fish according to existing regulations. They should encouragebusinesses to invest in research and production of high-quality tra fishand to farm tra in a value chain for stable production.

The provinces should be certain banned substances are not used in productionand processing.

Authorities should encourage businesses to invest in farming brackish-watershrimp and apply advanced technology in production to raise shrimp output andmonitor diseases.

The ministry said authorities must continue to supervise purchasing,transporting and processing to stop violations.

Localities should also improve the traceability of tra fish and shrimpaccording to the regulations. They should continue to develop the market, buildtheir brand and handle export violations.

In the first nine months of this year, Vietnam’s tra fish exports amountedto 1.59 billion USD, an increase of 22.6 percent over the same period last yearaccording to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers(VASEP).

The association forecasts the figure will reach 2.1 billion USD this year, up22 percent compared to 2017 – the highest level ever recorded by the sector.

Vietnam earned 369.1 million USD from exporting tra fish to the US inthe first nine months of this year, up 42.9 percent. Businesses attributedthe surge to stable market demand and higher prices. The Food Safety andInspection Service (FSIS) under the United States Department ofAgriculture has proposed continuing Vietnam’s eligibility to export catfish andother fish products to the US.

The US Federal Register has published a draft of a proposal that would maintainthe eligibility of Vietnam, China and Thailand to export catfish and fishproducts to the US as proposed by FSIS. The US Department of Commerce (DOC) hasannounced the preliminary results of the 14th period of review (POR 14),between August 1, 2016 and July 31, 2017, and lowered anti-dumping tariffson tra fish imports from Vietnam to between zero and 2.39 USD perkilogramme from the average rate at 3.78 USD per kg in POR 13. The DOC willannounce the final POR 14 results in January 2019.

Vietnam pocketed 376.8 million USD from tra exports to China in thenine-month period, a rise of 30.8 percent against the same period last year.China is now Vietnam’s biggest tra fish importer, making up 23.6 percentof its total tra exports.

Many Vietnamese businesses have seen the ongoing US-China trade war as anopportunity to step up exports to the US. VASEP forecast that the US willsurpass China to become Vietnam’s biggest tra importer in the fourthquarter of this year.

Tra exports to other markets like the European Union (EU) and the Associationof Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have also increased. As of the end ofSeptember, Vietnam’s tra exports to the EU reached 176.4 million USD, up14.6 percent. The pace is expected to continue until the end of thisyear. ASEAN is Vietnam’s fourth largest tra fish importer at 145.5million USD as of September 30, up 44 percent.

The shrimp industry received positive news in the third quarter when the DOCannounced anti-dumping tariffs for shrimp in the final result for POR12 was4.58 percent, much lower than the rate in the preliminary result.

On the domestic market, favourable weather and a recovery in the price of rawshrimp have been important factors in promoting production. In the first ninemonths of the year, output of shrimp increased eight percent over the sameperiod last year but shrimp export value fell by 1.1 percent to 2.7 billion USD.-VNS/VNA