The deal, signed on 4 March, has the two sides committing to strengthening aquaculture cooperation in terms of bio-chemistry technologies and sector training, Mercapesca.net reports.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will see more support from its signing partner the Ukraine Aquaculture Economic Committee (UAEC) for coldwater fish breeding in Vietnam, and impart knowledge on fish diseases, maritime safety and fish processing, said UAEC President Volkov Vladimir Vasilievich.
According to the Vietnam Association for Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP), Ukraine's imports of Vietnamese 'tra' and 'basa' catfish fillet surged by 268 per cent in 2007. The Ukraine market aside, 'tra' and 'basa' also recorded increases of 43.5 per cent and 39.2 per cent in volume in the markets of the European Union (EU) and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Despite strict food safety and hygiene requirements, local producers have recorded strong gains in markets pertaining to the EU, ASEAN and Ukraine.
Investment funding
In the meantime, Russian financial group Metropol signed a deal with the Vietnam-Russia Bank (VRB) on 17 March to lay foundations for a favourable investment atmosphere while developing relations between Russia and Vietnam.
The agreement will foster investment activities in tourism, energy and etc, commented VRB General Director Nguyen Van Pham. The bank also plans to join Metropol to establish an investment fund for new Vietnamese enterprises in Russia.
Metropol businessmen will also pay fact-finding visits to northern Quang Ninh province and Ho Chi Minh City, said company president Mikhail Slipenchuk.
VASEP confirmed that ten more Vietnamese seafood exporters were allowed to ship products to Russia after a July inspection undertaken by the Russian Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance Service (VPSS) at 20 aquaculture breeding and processing facilities in the Mekong Delta region.
Russia's promising seafood market, with a consistently rising consumption rate, imported 58,700 tonnes of Vietnamese seafood last year worth USD 126.3 million.
With rising demand from the French, Japanese, South Korean, Taiwanese and Australian markets, the industry aims to export over 9 per cent in additional seafood annually through 2010, when export revenues are hoped to reach between USD 4 and 4.5 billion.