June 24, 2011

 

Vietnam's seafood sector makes progress over past decade

 

 

Vietnam's seafood sector has made remarkable progress, especially in the export of tra and basa fish in the past decade, according to the Fisheries Directorate under Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

 

Chu Tien Vinh, deputy Director General of the Directorate of Fisheries, said the seafood sector earned US$5 billion from exports per annum while contributing to poverty alleviation and safeguarding national sovereignty at sea.

 

Speaking at the ASEAN-SEAFDEC (Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre) conference held in Bangkok on June 17, Vinh said Vietnam was willing to cooperate with other countries in the region to develop sustainable aquaculture in the country's East Sea to benefit future generations.

 

The conference theme was "Sustainable Fisheries for Food Security Towards 2020 - Fish for the People 2020: Adapting to a Changing Environment." In 2010, the Vietnamese aqua product sector earned US$5 billion from exports with tra exports exceeding US$1 billion.

 

In the first six months of this year, Vietnam earned more than US$3 billion in export turnover, and the sector targeted a turnover of US$5.5-6 billion for the year.

 

Currently, the US is Vietnam's largest seafood export market, followed by Russia and Ukraine. Vietnam also plans to enter the central African market in the future.

 

Vietnam aims to diversify its aquaculture by applying new technologies for breeding clean tra and basa fish, ensuring food safety and hygiene and seeking new aquatic products.

 

Vietnam has co-operated with many ASEAN nations in the field of aquaculture. It has signed agreements on exploiting seafood products with Indonesia and the Philippines and plans to enter similar deals with Myanmar and Malaysia in the future.

 

Vietnam also aims to cooperate and exchange information with Thailand in this field.

 

A joint statement, released by ASEAN Ministers and the SEAFDEC at the closing of the conference, emphasised producing aquatic products for food security and poverty reduction, improving effective management of aquaculture and strengthening adaptation to climate change.

 

It also encouraged increasing the competitive edge of seafood products in the world market, more efficient use of energy and renewable energy promotion.

 

"The ministers recognise the importance of the fisheries sector in ASEAN and the major role it plays in the three ASEAN Communities - political security, economic and socio-cultural. They also recognised the sector's role in contributing to national development, food security, sustainable development and the improvement of livelihoods, as well as its important contribution towards the realisation of an integrated ASEAN Community and achieving the Millennium Development Goals," the statement said.

 

"The Ministers recognise the emerging challenges and changing environment facing the fisheries sector, particularly the degraded status of fisheries resources and their associated habitats, rapid changes in trade and market measures, and the potential adverse impacts of the changing environment brought about by climate change, among others," it said.

 

"These challenges require closer cooperation and innovative interventions to enhance the adaptive capacity of the sector in the context of ASEAN Community Building and beyond."