Cafatex corp: To improve competitiveness due to VJEPA

According to the statistics of Vietnam Customs, in the first eleven months of 2009, Cafatex Corp shipped 6,717MT of seafood, worth nearly US$33.937 million to worldwide markets. More than 60 percent of Cafatex’s products are exported to Japan, mostly to the 7 Eleven and Ito Yokado supermarkets.

Mr. Nguyen Van Kich, CEO of Cafatex Corp., said in the past, Vietnamese shrimp exporters encountered fierce competition from other Asean countries because they had signed bilateral trade agreements with Japan. Since 2010, when VJEPA came into effect and many agriculture and seafood products will enjoy the zero percent tariff, Vietnamese seafood companies have chance to boost exporting to Japan, and their competitiveness is strengthen.

‘We are very optimistic about the tariff reduction according to this agreement,’ said Kich.

Japan is currently one of the countries that apply strict standards on food quality and safety to protect the community’s health.