February 9, 2009
Vietnam to boost seafood exports to Russia
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in Vietnam is tightening its control over the quality and safety of its seafood bound to Russia after the country's food safety authority banned Vietnamese seafood in December 2008.
The ministry will also prioritise seafood processors that have won contracts with Russian partners and had their products passed the necessary requirements and are accepted by the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Physio-sanitary Surveillance (VPSS).
The Nam Viet Seafood Export Joint Stock Company (Navico), one of Vietnam's leading seafood exporters to the Russian market, promised to improve its products by only purchasing raw materials from qualified suppliers.
Meanwhile, the Kien Giang Seafood Joint Stock Company (Kisimex) announced that it has invested in an upgrade of its production line to increase both its output and product quality.
During 2008, Vietnam made a breakthrough in exporting seafood to Russia, enjoying a surge of 82.9 percent in export value.
Russia became the third biggest importer of Vietnamese seafood, following the EU and Japan, and holds the potential for further increases during 2009.
