October 22, 2007

Vietnam catfish exports may reach US$1 billion this year

Vietnam's "tra" and "basa" catfish exports may earn US$1 billion this year, according to an official from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP).

Amid strict requirements, Vietnamese catfish farmers have posted strong gains in markets such as the European Union, the US, ASEAN states and in the Ukraine, according to Nguyen Huu Dung, VASEP Vice President.

The Mekong Delta province of An Giang alone has so far this year registered on-year increases of 62 percent and 60 percent in the value and volume of exports, respectively.

The province expects to export 120,000 tonnes of tra and basa catfish, worth US$320 million, in 2007.

In order to increase tra and basa catfish exports, the fisheries sector has urged local governments to beef up supervision over the misuse of chemicals in catfish farming and build trademarks for the product.