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Vietnam tightens rules for seafood export to Russia
Agricultural authorities have drafted new regulations for seafood export to Russia, tightening control of quality and quantity of the product and preventing exporters from dumping there.
Russia lifted a ban on Vietnamese seafood imports this month.
It was in place since late last year after some shipments of Vietnamese seafood were found contaminated with banned chemicals. Russian authorities also claimed that Vietnamese exporters progressively lowered prices to compete with one another, hurting Russian importers.
Vietnamese seafood businesses would cooperate to price exports to Russia to ensure the products are not dumped and farmers make profit, the Vietnam Seafood Association (VASEP) assured Wednesday.
Duong Ngoc Minh, a VASEP official, said the new regulations stipulate that exporters would meet every one or three months to agree on export quantities and prices.
Truong Dinh Hoe, VASEP secretary general, said the regulations require seafood exports to Russia to contain less than 20 percent water. Exporters must inform VASEP in advance about their shipments to get approval, he said.
Vietnam plans to export 100,000 tons of tra catfish, also known as pangasius, to Russia this year. Tra is Vietnam’s major seafood exports to the market.
Last year 118,000 tons of the fish were shipped to Russia before the ban was slapped on in late December.
Russian authorities also banned importers of Vietnamese seafood from selling tra at below 78 rubles (US$2.30) a kilogram, according to Minh. Violators will be fined $50,000 and banned from importing Vietnamese seafood.
The first shipment of 10,000 tons of tra would leave for Russia later this month and the second in early May, according to VASEP.
Minh, who heads the association’s managing board of seafood export to Russia, said members would be assisted if they respect the regulations.
Vietnam Russia Bank would provide VND3 trillion ($167 million) to finance seafood trade between the two countries, Nguyen Van Pham, its chief executive officer, said.
Pham said the bank, which was established and supported by the two governments to boost bilateral trade, has loaned VND400-500 billion ($2.2 to 2.7 million) to the industry so far.
Minh Quang
thanhnien
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