Many Vietnamese seafood exporters qualified for US market


(12/11/2003 -- 17:52GMT+7)

Ha Noi, Dec. 11 (VNA) - Most of Viet Nam's aquatic product exporters have registered their products with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

VASEP said it now has 176 members, 70 percent of which sell products to the US. Last year, the US accounted for 32 percent (655.6 million USD) of Viet Nam's total seafood exports, becoming the country's largest seafood buyer. The value of US-bound seafood exports has contributed an average 36 percent of Viet Nam's annual export value over recent years. In the first ten months of this year, 671 million USD worth of Vietnamese seafood headed for the US, a year-on-year increase of 25.7 percent.

The US requirement of registrating with the FDA has caused procedural problems for some Vietnamese seafood exporters, a VASEP official said.