Some lessons from Norway salmon for Vietnam pangasius

<div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 15pt; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt">Norway has succeeded in salmon production even it is a small country. The brand name &ldquo;Norwegian salmon&rdquo; becomes popular with global market thanks to its quality. Any individual and organization joining in salmon production chain must firstly meet quality standards. Vietnam pangasius industry should pay attention to improving, promoting quality of pangasius and building a brand name for pangasius. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 15pt; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt">Since 1980, Norwegian salmon industry has been implementing marketing strategies for its products. All Norwegian salmon producers are requested to use the national brand name besides their own trade name on exported salmon products. The brand name &ldquo;Norwegian salmon&rdquo; confirms the quality of salmon products. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 15pt; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt">In addition, Norway applied a policy of extracting 1 percent from export value of salmon exporters to do marketing. Vietnamese government shouldn&rsquo;t support finance for national pangasius industry to promote brand name and marketing activities of pangasius because it may subject to anti-subsidy duties, Mr. Joh&aacute;n H. Williams, the chairman of Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of FAO and North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission advised.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 15pt; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt">Norwegian Seafood Export Council (NSEC) &ndash; an non government organization- was set up to build and promote national brand name for salmon products, to research markets, to solve problems on salmon trading. NSEC helps Norwegian fishery to set up a firm position in the global market and salmon products meet the demands of severe markets. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 15pt; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt">As regulated by NSEC, exporters must obey NSEC&rsquo;s regulations and pay member fee upon their production scale in order that exporters must be responsible the whole community and prevent uncompetitive activities damaging images of Norwegian fishery. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 15pt; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt">Pangasius industry desires to set up a brand name for high quality pangasius as &ldquo;Vietpanga&reg;&rdquo;. or &ldquo;Vietpangasius&rdquo;, Mr. Nguyen Huu Dung, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP) said. However, in fact, Vietnam pangasius farming is different from Norwegian salmon farming. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 15pt; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt">In Norway, a major of salmon enterprises join in salmon production chain are large companies while in Vietnam, pangasius enterprises are mostly small and medium sized companies. Besides companies directly take part in the production chain, there are many indirect participants in the chain.&nbsp;Vietnam pangasius industry should build a brand name a long with set up a legal framework for management, Pham Anh Tuan, Vice General Director of Directorate of Fisheries (D-Fish) said. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 15pt; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt">In 1991, Norway had total 800 salmon companies but now this figure reduces to 96 ones in which 14 major companies account for 80 percent of total farmed salmon output (about 1 million MT) nationwide. Vietnam pangasius processors and exporters are increasingly joining in raising fish to ensure the raw material supply. Farmers own over 4 hectare ponds occupies 81 percent of the nationwide total production, the other 19 percent&nbsp;are under 4 hectare farms.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 15pt; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt">The linkage model between fish farmers, enterprises, suppliers of services in fish production chain is broadened to develop sustainably pangasius production. According to Norwegian experts, Norway exported 1 million MT of raw salmon annually, reaping US$5 billion of export turnover. Vietnam pangasius exports will also reach the target if Vietnam pangasius industry focuses on increasing the value of Vietnam pangasius, building global quality through a brand name such as &ldquo;Vietpanga&reg;&rdquo;.&nbsp;</span></div>