To keep exporting shrimp to Japan

 In the first half of September, sales of whiteleg shrimp to Japan continued to decrease by 22 percent, black tiger shrimp  exports to the market reduced 1.2 percent and other shrimp export value also went down 32.5 percent.

Regulation on testing the antioxidant with Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) 0.01 ppm in shrimp imported from Vietnam is causing huge losses and obstacles for the local exporters.

In Mekong Delta, 70 percent of shrimp processing factories is operating with low capacity. Many enterprises could not to continue purchasing raw shrimp farmed in industrial model from farmers. To keep export shrimp to the market, some exporter must stop selling industrial shrimp and only export shrimp products which farmed in the extensive model.

In Soc Trang province, a hub of industrial shrimp cultivation, many farmers can not breeding more shrimp because of low demand from processors and lack of capital.

Costs for shrimp production has increased by 80 – 100 percent during past five years, mainly due to impacts from high inflation, hike bank interests, other taxes and fees. A medium sized enterprise must spend VND5 – 10 billion per year on testing fees of seafood quality. 

In efforts to solve the problem, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry (MARD) requested Directorate of Fisheries (D-Fish) to check the list of aquatic feed products to find out and announce products which are free from Ethoxyquin. D-Fish is responsible for guiding Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development to recommend shrimp farmers to use feed with no Ethoxyquin in its contents. D-Fish cooperates closely with related agencies in taking samples of aquatic feed kinds which are traded in the market to determine MRL of Ethoxyquin in the products.

On 24^th September 2012, National Agro – Forestry - Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (NAFIQAD) sent an official document 1565/QLCL- CL1 to Japan Food Safety Agency under (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) to request the Japanese authority to raise the MRL of Ethoxyquin in frozen breaded shrimp imported from Vietnam. The MRL of Ethoxyquin of 0.01 ppm is too low and not appropriate. NAFIQAD petitioned the Japan side to review methods of testing shrimp samples and MRL of Ethoxyquin because parts of powder used in processing breaded shrimp products include wheat flour, corn, soybean, egg and other spices. As regulated by the country, MRL of Ethoxyquin in wheat flour, corn and soybean is 0.05 ppm.

NAFIQAD requested Food Safety Agency to apply MRL of Ethoxyquin in imported crustacean products and particularly frozen breaded shrimp equally to the level of 1 ppm to imported fish.