HCM City (VNA) – Vietnamese tra fish exporters are confident that theirbusiness will continue to thrive in the coming time despite facing anti-dumpingduties and expansion of farming areas in many rival countries.

Barriers to Vietnamese tra fish in the US are likely to decrease as the FoodSafety and Inspection Service (FSIS) under the United States Department ofAgriculture recognised the catfish inspection system in Vietnam together withChina and Thailand as equivalent to that in the US in 2018, which means Vietnamis eligible to continue tra fish shipment to the American market.

At the same time, exporters can take advantage of theUS-China trade dispute to increase their market share in the US, replacingChinese tilapia that currently accounts for 40 percent of all fish imports tothe US.

The tra fish industry will also benefit a lot from the EU-Vietnam Free TradeAgreement (EVFTA). During the trip to EU from March 18 to April 8, Chairwomanof the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan had a meeting with Chairman of theEuropean Parliament’s Committee on International Trade Bernd Lange to discussthe future of the pact.

Bernd Lange said that the EVFTA might be signed and approved in June or July whenthe European Parliament completes its elections and enters a new term.

Once the deal takes effect, 90 percent of tariff lines on seafood exports tothe EU will be cut to zero in three to four years from the current rate of 14percent.

With the popularity of processedproducts in the US and EU markets, Vietnam has the potential to increase itsprofits from high-value products. The gross margin for the products is 22-25percent, higher than the margin of 12-16 percent for frozen fillets.

According to Duong Nghia Quoc, Chairman of the Vietnam Pangasius Association, favourableweather conditions combined with advanced farming technology make it easy forVietnam to produce white-meat tra products, which have won the taste ofconsumers. Meanwhile, other major tra producers like India, Bangladesh,Thailand and Indonesia produce low-value yellow-meat tra fish.

Besides, the Vietnam Association of Seafood and Exporters and Producers isstudying to set up a market development fund to help local firms build brands andexpand sale networks in foreign countries.

At the same time, tra fish has beenrecognised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and theMinistry of Industry and Trade as national product entitled to specialpolicies.

However, Quoc cautioned that farmers, producers, exporters and localitiesshould tightly control farming areas, and prevent mass breeding to avoid trafish oversupply.-VNA