Media report states that USDA has decided to give Vietnamese tra fish case a thought and this has aroused concern amongst Vietnamese seafood exporters. Truong Dinh Hoe, General Secretary of the Vietnam Seafood Processors and Exporters (VASEP) gave an insight into the case saying that under the 2008 farm bill, Vietnamese Tra and Basa fish could be included in the US’s catfish group.
If USDA includes Vietnamese tra and basa fish in catfish group, then the quality will be controlled by the USDA instead of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He added that the definition of Vietnamese Tra and Basa fish should have been made public in July 2009.
Currently, Vietnamese Tra fish sales are increasing significantly in the US. In 2008 for example, Americans on average consumed 0.26 pounds of Tra fish. This means US consumers have already placed their trust in this imported fish species. Hoe also said that last year, Vietnam exported 600,000 tonnes of Tra fish around the world, including 41,000 tonnes to the US, or just 7 percent of the total. Though it is a small figure, loss of these sales could have a big impact on the reputation of Vietnamese exports.
In short quality and food safety are the main issues to address to boost our seafood exports. The government has set a target of raising 1.5 million tonnes of Tra fish in the Mekong Delta and earning US$1.5 billion from Tra exports this year.
