Vietnam Overseas

Vietnam’s seafood export has been increasing dramatically in recent years and now has become one of the country’s most important exports.

PRODUCTION OUTPUT

• Viet Nam has a coastline of 3,260 km that crosses 13 latitudes, from 8°23′N to 21°39′N;
• The continental shelf has a surface area of some 700,000 km, with an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of more than 1 million km2;
• Vietnam has over 4,000 islands and the coast has more than 400,000 hectares of mangrove stands;
• There are four main fishing areas: Gulf of Tonkin, shared with China; Central Vietnam (the Southern Mainland Shelf); Southeastern Vietnam (Northern Sunda Shelf and part of the Central Sunda Shelf); and Southwestern Vietnam (part of Gulf of Thailand), shared with Cambodia and Thailand.
• Total fisheries production in 2003 reached 2,536,361 MT, of which the marine catch was 1,426,223 MT and aquaculture and inland catches totaled 1,110,138 MT;
• It is estimated that only half of the area suitable for aquaculture in Vietnam is being used at present, and approximately 800,000 ha can be developed for use by this sector;
• Vietnam has 332 seafood processing plants, of which 70 percent are located in the southern region; 24 percent in the central region and 6 percent in the North;
• 100 plants have qualified for exporting to the EU. More than 200 are applying HACCP. Ho Chi Minh City alone has about 50 seafood companies:
• The main products include fish (tongue sole, mahi-mahi, anchovies, red snapper, Spanish mackerel, catfish and yellow-fin tuna), shrimps (black tiger and cat tiger), cephalopods such as octopus and squid, and mollusks.

EXPORT PERFORMANCE

Source: Vietnam General Statistical Office

Earnings from seafood export increased from US$ 285 million in 1991 to about US$ 621 million in 1995 and to over US$ 2.8 billion in 2005. Currently, seafood is the fourth largest export commodity in terms of value and accounts for about 9% of the country’s total export. It is forecasted that Vietnam’s seafood exports will reach around US$ 3.5 billion by the year 2010.

Major Markets: Vietnam’s seafood has been exported to around 75 countries with USA, Japan, China (included Hong Kong), Korea, Tai Wan and the EU being the biggest importers.

Seafood exports from Vietnam to the US reached $US 730.5 million in 2003, but dropped in the last two years to 565.6 million in 2004 and 627.2 million in 2005 mainly due to US anti-dumping taxes imposed on fish file and shrimp.

Source: US International Trade Commission

SEAFOOD.COM NEWS by John Sackton -Aug 19, 2005- ? State officials in Florida have begun calling distributors, asking to test samples of Vietnamese basa for antibiotic residue. Florida now becomes the fourth state where local officials have begun tests.

In most cases, these officials are ‘red tagging’ product, meaning it cannot be sold until the results of lot tests are obtained.

In Louisiana, where the movement to ban basa sales started, officials are tagging all fish of Vietnamese origin. For example, a distributor reports that he was not allowed to sell tuna loins that were a product of Vietnam. Of course, wild tuna has no opportunity to be treated with antibiotics.

The ramifications of this war on basa continue to escalate. Under pressure from Southern congressmen, the FDA is now considering whether to impose a national ban on basa imports. It is unclear whether this will be in the form of an import alert, under which product must be tested, or a denial of entry of product.

The reaction to a simple test by a University of Mississippi researcher is turning into a disaster for the seafood industry. That test found students preferred the taste and texture of basa over farm raised catfish.

This result is no secret in the trade. The reason for the rapid acceptance of basa, by what ever name it is sold, is based on its product attributes, which include excellent texture, and a higher oil content than American catfish. The threat to the catfish industry from basa came not simply from price, but from the fact that many chefs preferred basa over other types of catfish.

Following the publication of the test results, local officials obtained and tested some of the basa used in the Univ. of Mississippi taste tests. This is when they found traces of a poultry antibiotic which the FDA has not authorized for use in aquaculture. That technical violation was all that was needed for the State of Louisiana to mount a campaign to seize and detain all Vietnamese products.

The prospect of FDA action resulting in a national ban would hurt more than basa importers, restaurants, and distributors. It would confirm again the notion that seafood, meaning all seafood, is contaminated with chemicals and drugs. The average consumer does not know the specifics of the problem. He or she just remembers seafood was banned because of antibiotics.

The string of stories about mercury in tuna, pcb’s in salmon, the use of canthaxanthin for salmon coloring, vibrio in oysters, suspicion towards farmed fish, and now antibiotics in catfish all contribute to the perception that seafood is tainted.

In the past, it was environmental groups that were the driving force behind the public perception that seafood was tainted. In places such as British Columbia, opponents of farmed salmon have tried to deliberately scare the public as a tactic.

But now, it appears to be internal fights between seafood producers themselves that is pushing this issue forward. The campaign to support domestic wild shrimp has made no bones about its attacks on farmed shrimp. The catfish industry has been particularly virulent in attacking other catfish producers, particularly those in Vietnam. Some in the wild salmon industry have been attacking farmed salmon, quite successfully.

The net result is that seafood now carries an asterisk. Yes seafood is good for you, but read the fine print: it is also contaminated.

Contrary to widespread reports, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is not considering a nationwide ban on imports of basa from Vietnam. FDA has found only two positive tests for fluoroquinolones out of hundreds of samples.  Last week, FDA spokesperson Mike Herndon told the Associated Press the federal agency was nearing a decision on whether to stop all sales of Vietnamese basa due to the detection of unapproved antibiotics in imported fish. But FDA spokesperson Sebastian Cianci told IntraFish Wednesday the article only spread confusion and misinformation. 

“We’re not considering a nationwide ban,” he said.  Just over a week ago, three southern states enacted bans on the sale of Vietnamese basa and other seafood, citing an FDA import alert listing two Vietnamese basa exporters guilty of shipping over product containing banned  antibiotics. 

The emergency orders issued by Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama came on the heels of a much-publicized taste test in which basa catfish was preferred 3 to 1 over U.S. catfish.  The states represent the lion’s share of farm-raised catfish production in the United States and for years have waged a politically charged public relations campaign against Vietnamese basa. An Arkansas congressman upped the ante by calling on the FDA to issue a nationwide ban on the sale of basa.  Cianci said the agency reserves the right to impose a country-wide alert called a DWPE (detention without physical examination) if the problem is ‘Widespread,” but reiterated the agency is not considering such an action. 

Since Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi initiated the ban, over a million pounds of Vietnamese seafood has been taken off the market. Florida also collected samples of imported basa last week to test for chemical residue. No results from any state currently testing for contaminated product were reported.  Cianci said the FDA does not have a position on the statewide bans in the south. 

“We believe that our efforts at testing for unapproved drugs at the point of importation is an effective strategy in protecting American consumers,” he said.  Meanwhile, NFI says that FDA has found only two positive tests for fluoroquinolones out of hundreds of samples. 

The following NFI statement was emailed to members today in relationship to the current issue of seizures of product in Louisiana.  ‘NFI opposes the use of unauthorized antibiotics in any farmed products. NFI is working with the Vietnamese government to ensure they understand the seriousness of this situation and have a robust and rigorous plan to eliminate any use of fluoroquinolone in seafood. We also are encouraging FDA to target resources where they can make the most sense — only two positives, out of hundreds, have been found to contain trace amounts of fluoroquinolone. With the current facts, a nationwide ban on Vietnamese seafood does not make sense.’ 

Source: intrafish and seafood.com  - June 28, 2007

Three Southeastern states in the heart of the U.S. catfish industry had banned Chinese farm-raised catfish contaminated with unapproved drugs months ahead of FDA’s decision Thursday to halt the products nationwide.  Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks, whose department had taken the first steps on an import ban, said the Food and Drug Administration made the right decision.  “I am very excited that the FDA has chosen to follow through with their testing and enforcement activities on this issue,” said Sparks, who had pressured the FDA to act months ago. 

He said the federal agency may have felt pressure from Congress.  “I think they had possibly seen action taken by Alabama and other states,” he said, “and looked at their examination a little harder.” 

In its order, the FDA said it was detaining three types of Chinese fish - catfish, basa and dace - as well as shrimp and eel after repeated testing turned up the unapproved drugs in the products.  There are different regulations for each state, making it costly for importers who must pay for product analysis that proves the seafood doesn’t contain the antibiotics nitrofuran and fluoroquinolone, as well as the antifungals malachite green and gentian violet. 

The FDA conducted its sampling from October 2006 through May 2007 and repeatedly found that farm-raised seafood imported from China was contaminated with antimicrobial agents unapproved for this use in the United States.  Sparks said Alabama had “led the charge” on a critical food safety issue. Mississippi and Louisiana also had banned Chinese catfish earlier this year. 

Sparks issued a “stop-sale” order in 2005 for Vietnamese farm-raised seafood and in April of this year for Chinese farm-raised catfish.  The Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries first found the contaminant chloramphenicol in imported farm-raised shrimp in 2002. 

“It’s required us to put more emphasis in this direction, more inspectors,” Sparks said.  Sparks commended his staff and the “hard work of my inspectors.” He said the intent wasn’t to be “punitive or hurt anybody,” but, he said, the health of the public is at stake. 

“All we have got to go on is good science,” he said.  Sparks said he hopes domestic seafood producers won’t take advantage of FDA’s decision by raising prices. The Chinese catfish imports can be 70 cents on the dollar less than U.S. product, said Jamey Clary, director of the Catfish Marketing Association in Alabama.

Forbes.com - By GARRY MITCHELL 06.29.07, 11:29 AM ET