The Vietnamese Government has requested the Australian side re-examine its ban on importing Vietnamese shrimp as it had caused serious impacts on local shrimp exporters, said Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam cephalopod exports to the Netherlands in Jan 2017 reached US$742 thousand, up 337% year on year. The market ranked the second behind Italy (in the EU bloc) in importing cephalopod from Vietnam. The market reported the highest growth in purchasing cephalopod from Vietnam among markets in the EU bloc.

China has become an increasingly lucrative market for Vietnam’s pangasius but Vietnamese enterprises face risks in this market.

As many as 164.8 billion VND (7.16 million USD) will be earmarked for technology transfer serving the restructuring of the fisheries sector during 2017-2020 under a scheme recently approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

The US’s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership may make certain impacts on Vietnam’s short-term plans but will not affect the country’s long-term goals and integration direction, according to Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai.

Vietnam’s tuna exports to Japan have dropped for four consecutive years since 2013 partly due to high import tariff at 6.4 percent – 7.2 percent.

The 2017 Africa-ASEAN Business Expo (AABE) will take place in Johannesburg city, South Africa, from November 6-8.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Mass media reports suggest that pangasius (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) is ‘full of poison’ because it is able to survive in the ‘heavily polluted Mekong River’ and contains pesticides and veterinary treatment chemicals. However, most of these claims are not substantiated with scientific evidence. To assess the safety of pangasius consumption, a full toxicological risk assessment was performed. The results obtained were compared to toxicity claims made in a selection of media reports. Information on contaminant levels encountered in pangasius was collected from the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) database. The toxicological risk assessments do not support any of the toxicological risks suggested in the media.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After the recovery in 2016, Vietnam shrimp exports in the early 2017 climbed down. The sales in Jan 2017 hit US$198.7 million; down 12.6% year on year.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In January 2017, Vietnam mainly exported its cephalopod products to 3 major markets, namely South Korea, Japan and the EU. The sales to these three markets accounted for more than 85% of the country's total export value.