May 30, 2007

 

Vietnam may lose seafood market Japan over chemical residues

 

 

Analysts said the dramatic drop of seafood exports to Japan should caution Vietnamese seafood exporters on the quality of their products or lose a significant chunk of its export market.

 

Seafood exports to Japan, which consumes 40 percent of Vietnam's total exports every year, have been dramatically decreased this year by 29 percent.

 

Japanese authorities are now inspecting 100 percent of seafood exports from Vietnam.

 

Nguyen Pham Minh, Director General of the Minh Sang Seafood Processing and Export Company, complained that the inspection-costing US$1,000 each-had led to higher production costs, excluding local inspection expenses. Meanwhile, many consignments of exports get stuck at ports as it takes time for the examinations.

 

Vietnam-sourced tra and basa fish are also finding it difficult to penetrate the EU market, especially to Russia. According to Truong Dinh Hoe, Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Russia, which imports US$100 million worth of Vietnamese tra and basa yearly, have discovered prohibited substances from several seafood consignments.

 

Subsequently, Russian authorities have imposed tighter policies on inspecting imports from Vietnam which has barred further exports.

 

The National Fisheries Quality and Veterinary Directorate (Nafiqaved) has urged the General Department of Customs to penalize the enterprises that have violated Japanese regulations. 

 

Nafiqaved have also imposed regulations for exporters to certify their products from antibiotic residues such as Chloramphenicol, AOZ and SEM (semicarbazide) before shipping their products abroad.

 

However, the moves taken by VASEP and Nafiqaved have not satisfied enterprises, stating that proper but strict monitoring on chemical application during processing is the only way to control antibiotic use.

  

On April 10, Japan discovered six consignments of dried shrimp, salted shredded meat and seafood spring rolls as containing the prohibited Semicarbazide (SEM).

 

On May 8, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan announced that shrimp exports from Viet Phu Foods and Fish Co., Ltd; Agrex Saigon; CaMau Seafood Processing and Service Jointstock Corporation; Amanda Foods VietNam Ltd; Binh Them Co., Ltd; Khanh Hoa Seafish Co., Ltd were found to contain chloramphenicol, AOZ and Semicarbazide.

 

Exports of four more Vietnamese companies: the Nha Trang Seafood Processing Company, HCM City-based Vietnam Northern Viking Technologies, Dong Nai-based AMADA, and the My An workshop on dried product processing under the Da Nang-based Phuoc Tien General Trading Company were also found to contain prohibited antibiotics on May 15.