January 4, 2006

Vietnam's seafood sales up in light of bird flu
 

Vietnam's seafood sales have risen due to a fall in poultry demand as a result of bird flu outbreaks, said Buu Huy, deputy director of An Giang Food & Agricultural Products Import Export Company (Afiex).

Seafood processing companies in the country are expecting sales to rise by 20 percent on-year during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday that falls in late January.

Huy added that Afiex is making several new products, including basa catfish cakes and dishes prepared in Thai, Indian and Korean styles.

Meanwhile, Truong Dinh Hoe, deputy general secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, said seafood producers in the Mekong delta region needed to ensure quality and reduce antibiotic residue in products for export.

Hoe stated that the region would contribute significantly towards achieving Vietnam's seafood export turnover target of US$4 billion by 2010, as it has the largest seafood reserve in the country.

The region had the advantage of raising shrimp and catfish in brackish and fresh water fields respectively, he said. Thus, the region should implement a proper development policy to increase output in an environmentally friendly way, he added.

Hoe also highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation between breeders, producers and exporters, and organising trade promotion events to boost seafood exports.