Vietnam's management board for tra fish export to Russia expects this year's export to reach a tough target of US$100 million in the Russian market.

The target was set given the positive signs of the Russian market in 2009 but now the situation in the second half of this year could dictate how things will turn out, said Duong Ngoc Minh, head of the board.

Minh seems to be uncertain about his own estimate of US$100 million in tra fish export to Russia last January.

Minh told the Daily that the export season of tra fish usually starts in the third quarter of the year, which coincides with the fishing season in Russia, and lasts till November.

Russia is among the top fish catchers in the world with annual output of around six million tonnes. In a few years back, Vietnamese tra fish export depended on whether they had a bumper year or not.

In the last two years, tra fish exporters have many times faced hygiene issues as Russian authorities found microorganism and antibiotics in the products and inadequate net weight, which led to the temporary halt of tra imports by Russia in 2008.

In late May, deputy minister of Agriculture Luong Le Phuong said at a press conference that tra fish export to Russia had resumed.

Phuong said fish export would not be easy as Russia wanted to limit fish imports to protect its fisheries industry on the one hand, and tighten quality control on the other hand.

Last year, Vietnam resumed exporting tra fish to Russia and reached 36,000 tonnes worth US$70 million.

Ngo Phuoc Hau, chair of the Fresh Water Fish Committee under the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said Vietnamese tra fish exporter needed to improve quality, conduct promotions and build brands for tra fish in order to step up exports to Russia, and other markets as well.

"There remain many difficulties with the development of the tra fish sector, which sometimes gets out of control due to stronger-than-required growth and this leads to insufficient fish feed supply, and price falls. The price of tra fish bound for the US for example, in the first quarter decreased 23% compared to the same period last year," Hau said.

In the master plan for tra fish production to 2020, the government aims to increase the current output from 1.2 million tonnes to two million tonnes.