According to the report Agriculture Ministry officials and leaders of the Vietnamese seafood industry have come together to exchange notes on controlling the quality of Vietnam’s seafood products to the US with John Connelly, President of the US National Fisheries Institute (NFI). It is fact the EU is always remain Vietnam’s biggest seafood export market; it takes 26 percent of Vietnam’s exports. Japan is second, taking 17.8 percent, followed by the US which imports 16.9 percent. Tra and basa fish account for 31.8 percent of total seafood exports.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Luong Le Phuong questioned the US imposing of anti-dumping duties. Phuong proposed that Vietnamese and US businesses reach an understanding on modes of dealing with practical problems. Connelly said that both Vietnam’s exporters and US consumers will be hurt if the US legally defines tra fish as a variety of ‘catfish’ and puts strict control over tra fish imports.
The US Department Commerce has vehemently opposed the proposal for fear that Vietnam may sue the US successfully before the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
First, the net weight of frozen seafood products. Vietnamese seafood exporters always ice their products to preserve them and when packaging, they add the weight of the ice into the weight of products.
The second problem is that NFI believes that Vietnamese enterprises are transshipping catfish through Mexico into the US in order to avoid tax. Third, the names of different fishes puzzle many American consumers. And fourth, Connelly said, is the problematic use of a substance which causes the fish to retain water.
