Seafood exporters to Russia told ’diversify’

Local seafood exporters to Russia should diversify their products and increase quality, industry leaders said at a meeting yesterday, January 5, in HCM City.

Local seafood exporters to Russia should diversify their products and increase quality.

Duong Ngoc Minh, head of the Viet Nam’s catfish export management board to Russia, said the board, which was set up last year, had played an important role in creating agreements on export prices and volume between local and Russian firms.

Last year, export prices to Russia remained stable or even rose by 5-7 per cent over 2008, while prices to other markets fell by 10-15 per cent, Minh said.

With a population of more than 150 million, Russia is a promising market for Vietnamese seafood products, especially catfish and shrimp.

Russia’s per capita seafood consumption is expected to double, from 7-12.5kg a year to some 16kg per annum in 2013.

Imported seafood products now account for 70 per cent of market share in Russia.

Minh said the board had set a target to ship 60,000 tonnes of fish worth US$100 million to the market this year.

However, for it to become a reality, export products must follow requirements on quality as well as food hygiene and safety set by both Viet Nam and Russia since Russia had strict standards on food safety and hygiene, said Luong Le Phuong, deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

In addition, seafood enterprises must ensure food hygiene and safety, from breeding, processing and storage to transportation, he added.

In the near future, Minh said his board would work with Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phyto-sanitary Surveillance to set up quality inspection programmes for Vietnamese seafood exports to Russia.

Other tasks this year include improving the marketing and advertising of seafood products and working with Russia’s neighbouring countries on a trial basis to export seafood.

The board has asked the Government to work with Russian authorities for adding other seafood companies to a list of firms meeting requirements to export to Russia, according to Minh, who is also general director of the Hung Vuong Joint Stock Company.

Currently, only companies certified by the Russian Federal Service Veterinary and Physio-sanitary Surveillance can export products to Russia.

The board has also asked the National Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery Quality Assurance Department to ensure quality by regularly checking firms that have certificates to export to Russia.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

Tags: Vietnam Seafood, Vietnam seafood exports