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UAE gives thumbs up to catfish imports
The United Arab Emirates has given Vietnamese tra and basa catfish the all clear, according to Viet Nam's Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Laboratory tests have shown that Viet Nam's tra and basa fish are free of any contamination and are fit for human consumption, according to the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA).
The ADFCA said the authority had earlier banned the import of Vietnamese catfish until laboratory tests had determined whether it was fit for human consumption.
Nguyen Thanh Bien, deputy minister of Industry and Trade, said Vietnamese authorities had approached their UAE counterparts about the issue and had been told that there was nothing wrong with Vietnamese catfish.
The move meant the UAE is free to import Vietnamese tra and basa as usual, Bien said.
However, the Vietnamese embassy in the UAE said local health inspectors would continue to closely monitor tra and basa imports from Viet Nam for malachite, a naturally occurring carbonate of copper that is harmful to human health.
Bien said the UAE had requested Viet Nam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the National Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Quality Administration Directorate of Viet Nam (Nafiqad) to certify that exports from Viet Nam were free of the mineral.
Luong Le Phuong, MARD deputy minister, said: "That is good news for Vietnamese catfish."
Phuong added that Viet Nam routinely carried out food hygiene and safety checks on its food exports.
"The UAE is a good market for Vietnamese catfish because the people in the country like fish."
However he cautioned that exporters should ensure that quality is maintained and that they do not swamp the UAE with too much fish, which would drive the price down.
VietNamNet, VietNamNews
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