March 31, 2006

Wal-Mart interested in Vietnam's seafood

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retail group, and Vietnamese seafood exporters are discussing a way to sell Vietnamese seafood products in the US, according to Vietnamese local media reports on Mar 30.

Representatives from both Wal-Mart and the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) met at a Boston seafood trade fair in mid-March, discussing ways of cooperation to bring Vietnamese seafood for sale in the Wal-Mart system.

VASEP's Secretary General Nguyen Huu Dung said VASEP presented to Wal-Mart the  advantages of Vietnamese tra, basa and shrimp. Vietnam's catfish yield is large, about 500,000 tonnes in 2005, compared with the 300,000 tonnes in the US. Additionally, Vietnam's tra and basa are outstanding in terms of quality and low cost.

In order to be sold at Wal-Mart, Vietnamese seafood products must have the MSC label (a certificate issued by the Marine Stewardship Council for ecological seafood).

Wal-Mart has a distribution of 4,688 supermarkets worldwide, of which two-thirds are in the US.