(VOVworld) – Vietnam’s seafood export is expected to reach 7.4 billion USD in 2017, a year-on-year rise of 6%, said the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP).

Feeding tra fish at the Phu Thuan fish farm in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang (Photo: VNA)

VASEP said in 2016, Vietnam exported aquatic products to 161 markets worldwide thanks to the implementation of free trade agreements. However, in 2017, the US will use technical barriers and impose anti-dumping tariffs and special inspections on Vietnamese seafood products, especially on catfish. Other products such as shrimp will also face tough competition from other regional exporters and South America.

Vu Van Tam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said Vietnam’s seafood export need to focus on the domestic market and provide Vietnamese consumers with local seafood specialties.
“Each region has its specialties of high values rather than mass quantity.  In 2017, aside from producing and exporting traditional products such as tra fish and shrimp, we need to focus on seafood products which Vietnam has more advantages to ensure even development between localities”, Mr. Tam elaborated.