Vietnam’s vice minister of agriculture, Vu Van Tam, delivered the ministry’s diplomatic note to Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Vietnam, Dakhil Al Johani, in a meeting in Hanoi on 7 February
Tam said Vietnam was surprised about the temporary suspension, which he said contains aspects that violate international trading laws.
Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) on 30 January temporarily suspended imports of fish, crustaceans, and other products of aquatic animal origin from Vietnam due to the presence of two diseases in the Southeast Asian nation.
The ban, effective 23 January, was based on the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)’s "Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report (Asia-Pacific Region) April - June 2017," which shows that white spot disease and acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease are present in Vietnam, SFDA said in its notification of emergency measures.
Prior to the issuance of the ban, SFDA dispatched a technical team to Vietnam to observe control measures applied by the Vietnamese government for export facilities of fish, crustaceans, and other products of aquatic animal origin, and following its inspection, the team recommended the ban, according to the note.
Nguyen Nhu Tiep, director of the Vietnamese Agriculture Ministry’s National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department, said Saudi Arabia’s decision was “not reasonable.” SFDA has not sent Vietnam any feedback after its inspection, he said. In addition, white-spot disease is present in shrimp in Saudi Arabia, too, according to Vietnam’s Department of Animal Health. Thus, under regulations of the OIE, Saudi Arabia must prove the safety level of the disease in its country before imposing a ban on imports of shrimp from other countries, Tiep said.
Furthermore, Saudi Arabia’s ban on cooked shrimp products from Vietnam goes against OIE’s rules and international practices, Tiep said, given that the cooking process destroys any disease risk.
Tiep added his opposition to the fact that while Saudi Arabia’s inspection team had only carried out inspections at a few Vietnamese pangasius companies, the SFDA had instituted an import ban on all seafood products from Vietnam. He noted that Saudi Arabia was the only country to have instituted such a ban out of the 160-plus countries and territories to which Vietnam ships seafood, including many with stringent requirements for biosecurity, disease safety, and food security.
The Saudi Arabian ambassador said he shared Vietnam’s concerns over the ban and that he would hand over the diplomatic note to SFDA and work with relevant agencies to make sure the issue does not affect the two countries’ overall trading ties.
Saudi Arabia has also suspended imports of aquaculture products from Bangladesh and Myanmar and farmed fish from India.
SSI forecasts a 28% year-on-year increase in after-tax profit attributable to the parent company of Vinh Hoan Corporation (VHC), driven by a gradual improvement in average selling prices from USD 3.15/kg in 2024 to USD 3.30/kg (+5%) in 2025. An Giang Fisheries Import-Export Joint Stock Company (ANV)'s after-tax profit attributable to the parent company is projected to rebound by 104%.
In 2025, the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu aims to earn 1.2 billion USD from exporting shrimp, one of the key export products that accounts for over 95% of its total export value.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Report on Vietnam Pangasius Sector 2015–2024, produced and released by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) in January 2025, is expected to provide enterprises, importers, and government agencies with a comprehensive overview of key developments in Vietnam's pangasius production and export over the past decade. In addition to highlighting achievements, the report identifies existing challenges and analyzes future opportunities and threats for the pangasius industry.
(vasep.com.vn) Overcoming two years of fluctuation in both export markets and domestic production, Vietnam's pangasius industry has demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and a strong determination to seize opportunities and boost exports to various markets. As a result, in 2024, pangasius exports reached USD 2 billion, a 9% increase compared to 2023. This achievement is a source of pride for Vietnam's aquaculture and agriculture sectors.
(seafood.vasep.com) Speaking at a conference to implement the 2025 plan of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh urged the agricultural sector to strive for a total export turnover of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products reaching $70 billion by 2025.
With robust production and processing infrastructure, combined with continuous market development efforts, Vietnam’s seafood exports are poised for 10–15% growth in 2025.
In 2025, seafood exports are expected to continue to grow better and could reach 11 billion USD as in 2022. However, this is also the year the seafood industry will face challenges, including increased competition from other countries, trade wars and market barriers...
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of December 25, at Toan Thinh Conference Center (Soc Trang City), the Soc Trang Fisheries Sub-department, under the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Soc Trang, held a conference to review the 2024 aquaculture activities and outline the brackish water shrimp farming plan for 2025. The event was attended by Ms. Quach Thi Thanh Binh, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Soc Trang.
The Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang aims to achieve export value of over 1.9 billion USD in 2025 by boosting production and processing of key products such as seafood, high-quality rice, fruits, and garments.
The UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement has significantly boosted Vietnamese seafood exports, with shrimp and pangasius leading the charge in the UK market.
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