Shrimp processing for exports. (Photo: VNA)Part of this year’s national programme on trade promotion,the event aimed to support Vietnamese seafood producers in seeking buyers inthe EU.
According to Vietrade Deputy Director Le Hoang Tai, the EUhas remained one of Vietnam’s largest seafood importers for years. Takingeffect from 2020, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has provided Vietnamwith even broader access to the EU market, with all the tariffson aquatic products eliminated in seven years.
Vietnam’s aquatic exports reached 2.4 billionUSD in the first quarter of 2022, up 40 percent from last year.
Shipments of tra fish to the EU totalled 28 million USD inthe first two months of this year, up 76 percent year-on-year, while those of shrimphit 159 million USD, up 66 percent, on the back of rebounding demand post-pandemic.
Last year, Vietnam exported over 1 billion USD worth of aquaticproducts to the EU, up 12 percent against the previous year. The five biggestEU importers included the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and France,together accounting for 72 percent of the total exports.
Tai expected through the webinar, the Vietnamese producers willhave better understanding of the EU market and the partnership betweenthe two sides further accelerate the development of the fishery industryin Vietnam.
Trade Counsellor in Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Latvia LeHoang Thuy noted that a wider range of convenience goods and instant food productshave been made available at supermarkets in northern Europe. It is a goodopportunity for Vietnamese exporters to boost sales to standardised processingcompanies capable of supplying highly value added products to the market, shesaid.
Sustainable fishery has been an emerging trend in the EU,Thuy noted, adding that it will be likely to be integrated into the managementsystem in the future. This means the EU will require the use of higher andhigher socially and environmentally responsible practices on imported seafoodover years, the official said.
She also highlighted the importance of ensuring qualitycontrol management and rules of origin for Vietnamese products as the EUconsumers are paying greater attention to health and origin matters of importedfoods. She urged Vietnamese firms to label their products with accurateinformation and focus more on branding and developing products based onconsuming trends./.
VNA
