Junes 2, 2008

Vietnam surpasses the Philippines in shrimp exports

Vietnam has recently overtaken the Philippines in shrimp exports volume, with 50 percent of its shipments bound to the US.

Vietnam is currently in the fifth place on shrimp exports to the US, third on exports to South Korea and second on shrimp exports to Japan, Thai scientist Pinij Kungvankij said.

Kungvankij said Vietnam's shrimp industry, mostly grown and cultured in the Mekong river, caters to some two million Vietnamese dependents and is the country's fifth foreign exchange.

Thailand, on the other hand, is Asia's top shrimp exporter to the US, Japan and South Korea.

The Philippines slipped to the 10th place in Japan and South Korea.

Meanwhile, Jan Koesling of the Bayer Animal Health, noted that the Vietnamese government created a Ministry of Fishery separate from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Koesling pointed out that this move by Vietnam brings single focus on aquaculture alone, among them the shrimps.

Other than this, Koesling said Vietnam has an effective quality assurance control in importation done by its National Fishery Quality Assurance and Veterinary Directorate (NAFIQAVED), which sees to it that imported brood stocks are totally free from luminous bacteria, white spot viruses and other diseases.

As to research and development, Koesling counted five Vietnam government-funded major universities and three aquaculture research institutes for the shrimp industry alone, not to mention 10 third party funded researches.