Currently, Vietnam ranks second in the world in terms of the number of seafood enterprises (301), which have been officially approved to export to this huge market.
To increase seafood exports to the EU market, deputy minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Luong Le Phuong, asked Nafiqad to work closely with the Department of Aquatic Resources Exploitation and Protection to zone off farming areas meeting the EU requirements. Mr Phuong warned that licensed enterprises will be refused if they fail to pass quality and hygiene tests.
Nafiqad said that an inspection team from the EU has concluded its examination of the quality of Vietnamese enterprises’ aquatic exports. According to the results, the EU acknowledged efforts made by Vietnamese enterprises in improving seafood safety and hygiene standards under EU regulations.
The EU is the largest importer of Vietnam’s aquatic products, accounting for 25.4 percent of total export turnover. In 2008, Vietnam exported 350,000 tonnes of aquatic products to the EU market, earning US$1.14 billion.