GENERAL INFORMATION

In Vietnam, the fishery sector plays an important role in the national economy, accounting for about 4-5 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and about 9-10% of national export revenue.

More than 4 millions of people working in the fishery and the growth in production have attributed to the fish exports. Thanks to strongly increase in many years, Vietnam ranks among the top ten seafood suppliers and its seafood products are exported to 170 markets in the world.

Shrimp, pangasius, tuna, squid and octopus are main seafood products exported by the country. In which, shrimp exports create about US$ 3.5 – 4 billion, make up 46-50% of the total seafood sales of Vietnam. Earnings from pangasius reached at US$ 1.7 – 1.8 billion (25% of the total) and exports from Tuna and Cephalopods are US$ 450 – 550 million for each.

Exports to the U.S, Japan, EU, China and South Korea make up 75% of Vietnam’s seafood sales to the wolrd.

5 advantages for Vietnam seafood exports:  

(1)  High commitment and participation from Government, Industry and companies for food safety, environment  and social responsibility;

(2)  Able to supply the big volume and safe quality and stable seafood products;

(3)  Meet all the customers’ requirements, incl. the vertical linkage (integration) for each species sector;

(4)  Vietnam is one in few countries in the world which has the good and stable labor resource; 

(5)  Vietnam has Agreements / FTAs with many countries and territories and has advantages both in product quality and im-ex tax.  

Tariffs to go on hundreds of Vietnam farm products by 2018

Vietnam has signed seven free trade agreements with multi-lateral, regional and bilateral partners, with hundreds of tariffs on farm produce to be removed by 2018.

Under the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), 1,434 of 1,539 tariffs will be reduced to zero this year.

By 2018, most of the 149 tariffs on wood and wood products will go.

Tariffs will be removed under a range of trade agreements, including the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA), the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area (AIFTA) and the Vietnam-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (VJEPA).

Tran Kim Long, director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) department of international cooperation, said integration helps foster exports of farm produce, push up science and technology application and improves food safety and hygiene and product quality.

Long said the integration has resulted in several challenges, including fierce competition and narrowed production of some industries.

Luong Hoang Thai, director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s multi-lateral trade policies department, said that this year the government of Vietnam is focusing on negotiations for three major trade agreements , including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement and a free-trade agreement with the Custom Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan (VCUFTA).

“After the WTO accession, we’ve realised a changing integration trend in the world -- switching from multi-lateral integration into regional and bilateral integration,” Thai said. “Vietnam is negotiating proactively instead of defensively in order to find export markets for farm produce.”

(Source: Dtinews)


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