VASEP warns local shrimp producers on Trifluralin

Vietnamese firms should reduce Trifluralin substance in their shrimp exported to Japan otherwise the said country will tighten control over the imports, VASEP warned.

VASEP said that Japan's Ministry of Labor and Social Welfares have warned twice over the past month that batches of imported shrimp from Vietnam contained a higher volume of Trifluralin substance than the allowed level.

If Japan takes stricter management over shrimp imports, not only Vietnamese shrimp industry but also seafood industry will be hurt hard, the association said.

Japan is the largest importer of Vietnamese shrimp with around 39,000-43,000 tonnes yearly. Vietnam is also the largest supplier of raw frozen shrimp to Japan, accounting for 21% of the country's total shrimp import volume.

The VASEP has sent a document to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, calling for the ministry's technical supports to local breeders and processors in curbing the Trifluralin substance, a type of pesticides, in shrimp.