(pangasius-vietnam.com) The Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Monitoring Service (Rosselhoznadzor) and Vietnam Embassy in Russia has recently held talks on imports and exports of seafood products between the two countries. Vietnam hoped that Russia would consider to loosen barriers against Vietnamese pangasius sales to this market.
The Russian delegation was headed by Vasily Lavrovskiy from Rosselhoznadzor, and the Vietnamese side was led by Pham Quang Niem, Vietnam Trade Counsellor in Russia.
Over these years, exchanges of seafood products between Vietnam and Russia have not met the two countries' potentials and demands. Sales of fish and marine products accounted for only 4 percent in bilateral goods exchanges. With a fast-growing aquaculture, Vietnam is able to enhance seafood exports to Russia considerably.
"The food safety is an important criterion in fish and seafood sourcing. Russian authority undertook inspections of processing facilities in Vietnam. Yet some of them did not meet the standards on quality and food safety set by Russian regulations and the Customs Union of Russia - Belarus - Kazakhstan," Vasily Lavrovskiy analysed.
According to the Head of Vietnamese delegation, Vietnam fishery sector has been trying to solve these problems with a hope that Russia authorities will remove barriers on Vietnamese fish products and as well as offer opportunities to new Vietnamese exporters. Vietnam plans to send a high-ranking delegation to Moscow in late March for more negotiations.