SYDNEY – Việt Nam expects to export frozen head-on shell-on shrimp to Australia for the first time, according to an official of Việt Nam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

In an interview with Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Sydney on the occasion of his working visit to Australia from September 8-10, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vũ Văn Tám said that the issue was discussed during his meeting with officials from the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.

Tám said Australia was a large export market for Vietnamese seafood products, including shrimp, accounting for the largest share of exports to Australia.

However, the export value of Vietnamese shrimp products to Australia dropped by 25.6 per cent in 2015 and continued falling another 16 per cent in the first seven months of this year.

Seafood products, including shrimp, are considered one of Việt Nam’s major export products having an advantage in terms of disease control, quality of fishery varieties, rearing technology and modern production modes, Tám said. In particular, Australia has become a potential market with high demand for frozen head on shell-on shrimp.

In the fourth quarter of 2016, a delegation of Australian experts will conduct a fact-finding tour to Việt Nam to inspect its standards for exporting raw shrimp. Deputy Minister Tám said he believes that Việt Nam can meet all of Australia’s requirements, having focused on investing in shrimp farming technologies, paid attention to controlling disease and improved the quality of young shrimps.

According to the Việt Nam Trade Office in Australia, the country  has a great demand for seafood, with the import turnover increasing from US$868 million in 2011 to $1.6 billion in 2015. Việt Nam is its fourth biggest seafood provider, but accounts for only 11.2 per cent of the market share.

Tám’s meetings also looked at measures to remove hindrances to the trading in agricultural products between the two countries, including Australian fruits and cattle.

During the two-day visit Việt Nam’s seafood enterprises joined an international food fair and took part in a week-long fair of Việt Nam’s seafood products in Australia. - VNS