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New manual helps fishermen who plan to sell to EU market
The Department of Fisheries and Resource Protection under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Wednesday released a manual detailing steps fishermen must take to have their products certified for exportation to the EU market on Wednesday.
From January 1, seafood exporters must provide certified proof of origin and scientific identification for all species under a new EU regulation covering "Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing".
The manual could be downloaded from the following websites: the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (www.mard.gov.vn), the Department of Fisheries and Resource Protection (www.cucktbvts.gov.vn) and the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (www.vasep.com.vn).
Hard copies have been delivered to local offices but not yet reached fishermen who, a month after the regulation took effect, were still confused how the new regulation would affect them.
Mai Thanh Phuc, a fisherman in Nha Trang, said the price of tuna had dropped by almost VND60,000 (US$3.33) per kilo on last year after the regulation was introduced.
"We have to sell our fish at a cheap price because many enterprises hesitated to buy our catches."
Le Van Hi who owns a fishing boat in the region said he too had had trouble finding people to buy his catches. "I finally found one businessman to buy my fish but he said he wouldn't pay me until he was sure he could resell the fish to exporters."
Le Tran Nguyen Hung, head of the Department's Fisheries Management and Exploitation Office, said the new manual would be updated regularly.
"We are trying our best to make it clear and easy for people to follow the procedures to comply with the regulation. This is the first time Viet Nam's fishing industry has faced this kind of regulation so it is not surprising people have experienced difficulties and confusion," he said.
According to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, only about 60-70 per cent of business exporting seafood to the EU are certified.
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