Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese tra fish, a major foreigncurrency earner, has gradually won the trust of Japanese consumers as seen inthe market’s emergence as one of the 10 biggest tra fish importers of Vietnam.

According to the Vietnam Association of SeafoodExporters and Producers (VASEP), tra fish exports were estimated at 609 millionUSD in the first four months of this year, up 4.2 percent from a year earlier.

The figure included 11.54 million USD fromexports to Japan, soaring 61.5 percent, making the Northeast Asian country theeighth biggest market of Vietnamese tra fish – its debut in the top 10.

In 2018, tra fish shipments to Japan shot up 12times from the 2.56 million USD in 2011.

This is a notable result because in the past,Japanese consumers shunned imported farmed aquatic products. The rise in trafish imports shows Vietnamese products are gradually gaining a foothold in thisdemanding market.

The two countries signed an economic partnershipagreement on December 25, 2008, and this deal took effect on October 1, 2009.This is Vietnam’s first bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), in which the twosides give more preferential treatment to each other compared to the FTAbetween ASEAN, of which Vietnam is a member, and Japan.

Under these FTAs, Japan has eliminated importtariffs on some Vietnamese aquatic products. 

Since April 2019, Japan has also exempted importtariffs on fresh and frozen catfish fillet products from members of theComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP),including Vietnam.

Thanks to the three agreements, tra fishexporters now have more chances to bolster shipments to Japan.

VASEP expressed its belief that there remainshuge potential for tra fish exporters to capitalise on the Japanese market.-VNA