There is significant room for Vietnam to promote the export of fish sauce. (File Photo) According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung DucTien, just a modest amount of fish sauce was exported, around 12.6% of thecountry’s total output per year, mainly to the Asian market (54%), theAustralian market (18%) and African and European markets (13% each), last year.
There are 17 production establishments currently exporting fish sauce.
Tien said there was significant room for Vietnam to promote the export of fishsauce, given the country’s favourable natural condition and a wealth ofexperience in production.
According to the AgroProcessing and Market Development Authority, there are more than 4,200 fishsauce production establishments across the country, with an average output ofaround 380 million litres.
The export of fish sauce would not only open the door to advertising Vietnameseculture and cuisine to the international market but also bring benefits tothe country, Deputy Director of the Agro Processing and Market Development Le ThanhHoa, said
In recent years, the fish sauce industry enhanced the application of scienceand technology in production to improve food hygiene and safety and meet therequirements of international markets, he said. With a modest share, there wasa large potential to promote exports.
Hoa pointed out that the biggest barrier to export expansion was food hygieneand safety, stressing that focus must be placed on meeting the safetyrequirements of export markets together with strengthening market research ontastes and diversifying fish sauce types with full origin traceability records.
In addition, it was necessary to build a national brand for Vietnamese fishsauce, he said.
To improve fish sauce quality, Hoa said that fleets of specialised fishingboats should be developed to ensure the quality of fish for sauce processing.
According to Luu Duan from the Vietnam Cuisine Culture Association, thecooperation between the Government agencies and producers promotes thedevelopment of the fish sauce industry.
Producers needed support to change the technologies and apply the qualitymanagement systems such as hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls,hazard analysis and critical control points and ISO 22000 to meet therequirements of the US, Australian and European markets.
According to Tien, the fish sauce industry needs to ensure the source ofraw materials in both quantity and quality to develop sustainably.
To achieve this, production infrastructure and facilities must be upgraded withthe application of quality control systems, Tien said.
He said more attention should be paid to packaging, labelling and environmentalprotection.
Inspection to prevent the abuse of chemicals and additives in fish sauceproduction must be enhanced.
An important measure was also to restore and promote long-standing traditionalvillages for fish sauce processing and build geographical indications andbrands for fish sauce products, Tien said, adding that policies must beraised to ensure sustainable seafood exploitation and develop a sustainablevalue chain for the industry.
Vietnam earned 28.53 million USD from exporting fish sauce in 2021./.
VNA
