HCM City (VNA) – Seafood processing companies arelacking materials for production, forcing some of them to import materials tomeet orders.

Tran Ngoc Tuoi, Director of Vinh Thuan Sai Gon AquaticProducts Ltd company, said the firm now lacks 70 – 80 percent of materialscompared to 30 – 40 percent in the first three months in the past. His companyhad to invite its French partner to Vietnam to understand the situation.

Some businesses had to import materials from Taiwan (China),Indonesia, Thailand for processing, but as a majority of customers prefer seafoodcaught in Vietnamese waters, other exporters have to refuse orders.

One of the main reasons for the shortage is the fishingseason, but it is also alarming that near-shore seafood resources have beendepleted, said Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exportersand Processors Nguyen Thi Thu Sac.

Another problem is the dominance of private traders in themarket of raw seafood materials, which resulted in a paradox that local rawaquatic materials are exported while processors do not have sufficientmaterials.

Nevertheless, aquatic product export this year has seen goodgrowth except for shipments to the European Union market due to the yellow cardwarning on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Excluding sea fish and crab, the shipments ofcuttlefish-octopus and tuna to the EU fell by 20 percent and 4 percent,respectively in the first four months of this year.

According to the VASEP, Vietnamese businesses are working toincrease tuna export to the EU. Most tuna processors use imported materials,thus making it easier for them to complete sets of records as required by theEU.

In addition, the EU still offers tax waive to 25,000 tonnesof steamed tuna fillets from third countries without trade agreements with theEU such as Thailand, Vietnam and China, affording Vietnamese firms a chance totap export opportunities.

According to VASEP’s Thu Sac, during a fact-finding trip inMay, a delegation from the European Commission’s (EC) Directorate-General forMaritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG-MARE) acknowledged efforts of the Vietnamesegovernment and business community to fight IUU fishing.

In January 2019, the DG-MARE will return to Vietnam toreview the country’s efforts in the regard.

VASEP asked the Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment to direct provincial authorities support fishing ports in theverification of origin of seafood.

It also called on the State to invest more in fishing ports,fishing logistics facilities and the national database on fishing, towards liftingVietnam out of yellow warning status and developing the fishing industry in a sustainablemanner in the near future.-VNA