Hanoi (VNA) - The export of tra (catfish) is still facing difficultiesalthough exports for January-September hit 1.3 billion USD, up 5.8 percent overthe same period last year, said the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exportersand Producers (VASEP).

However, values declined in two important markets, the US andEurope.

Specifically, exports to the US reached 258.3 million USD, making up more than19.8 percent of total exports and down 9.9 percent year-on-year.

In the European market, in August and September, exports fell by 8.4 percentand 23.7 percent respectively over the same period in 2016. By the end ofSeptember 2017, European exports accounted for only 11.8 percent of totalexports.

Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Pangasius Association Vo Hung Dung said in themeantime, the export value to the Chinese market was growing. A VASEP reportshowed that the total value of catfish exports to China and Hong Kong was morethan 288 million USD in the first nine months of this year, marking ayear-on-year increase of 42 percent.

Dung, who is also Director of  the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce andIndustry’s branch in the southern province of Can Tho, said although theChinese market was a breakthrough, there were still worrying signs, so theindustry had to concentrate on big and fastidious markets such as the US andEurope.

"If we lose in these two markets and focus on the Chinese market, the riskwill increase," Dung warned.

To ensure stable export, Dung said that the association had recentlyintroduced tra fish products to Japan. If successful, it couldlessen the risk of relying too much on Chinese demand.

According to the association, after the US decided to inspect 100 percent ofVietnamese tra fish shipments in August, it has imposed ananti-dumping tax of 2.39 USD per kilogramme of Vietnamese frozen fish filletsduring the 13th administrative review (POR13), three times higher than thesingle tax rate in the POR12.

Dung said the US Farm Bill, which came into effect in 2016, states that catfishexports fall under the jurisdiction of US Department of Agriculture’s FoodSafety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which is more concerned with anti-dumpingduties.

He said that the anti-dumping tax on Vietnamese catfish had affectedmost tra fish exporters. However, a few processors with top qualityfish had been allowed to pay low tariffs, including Vinh Hoan, Bien Dong andNam Song Hau.

Under the Farm Bill, all shipments of Vietnamese catfish to the US must beplaced in US-designated storage for quality inspection before customsclearance. This costs time and money.

Director of Bien Dong Company Ngo Quang Truong said if  Vietnamese wantedto export to the US, they must accept the difficulties.

“(However) the current price of tra fish product in the US market hasincreased to about 4 USD per kilo. This is an opportunity for enterprises toincrease exports to this market through improving quality and exercising goodfarming, processing and marketing practices,” said Truong.-VNA