Local fishermen catch tilapia fish in the southern province of Hậu Giang. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (NAFIQPM) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has just issued a document announcing that Brazil will stop importing tilapia from Việt Nam.

Specifically, NAFIQPM received an official letter from the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) on stopping the import of tilapia from Việt Nam from February 14 this year until there is a conclusion on reviewing the risk of disease caused by TiLV virus.

The NAFIQPM has recommended that seafood processing facilities on the list of exporters to Brazil stop exporting tilapia to the Brazilian market starting from February 14.

At the same time, seafood processing facilities on the list of exporters to Brazil need to proactively update, research and organise the proper implementation of regulations in the process of producing and processing seafood and exported aquatic products to Brazilian market.

Data of the Việt Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) show that the country's tilapia exports reached more than US$6 million last year, a year-on-year decrease of 42 per cent.

The EU continues to be the market consuming the most tilapia from Việt Nam with $2 million last year, down 34 per cent year-on-year.

Among them, the Netherlands contributed nearly half of total Vietnamese tilapia exports to the EU market.

Following the EU, the US consumed nearly US$1 million last year, down 71 per cent year-on-year. Frozen tilapia is a favourite product of consumers in the US.

China is the world's largest source of tilapia and is also the largest source for the US. Vietnamese tilapia in the US has difficulty competing with Chinese tilapia, because Việt Nam's average price is higher even though it is on a downward trend. —VNS