HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s tra fish exports to Spain see no sign of recovery following inaccurate news broadcast by Spanish media early this year, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Producers and Exporters (VASEP) said.
As of November 15, export value dropped by 72.7 per cent from the same period last year, bringing the market down to sixth place from earlier being the third-largest importer of Việt Nam’s tra fish in the European bloc.
According to Globefish under the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Việt Nam’s tra fillet exports to Spain fell to 6,000 tonnes in the first six months of this year, half that of the same period last year.
Trương Đình Hòe, VASEP secretary general, said incorrect and defamatory information broadcast on Spanish television channel Cuatro led to a strong drop in exports, which are forecast to fall 60-75 per cent year-on-year.
Spain is an important market in Europe for Việt Nam. The two countries have recorded increasing trade, with two-way trade hitting US$2.9 billion in 2016 and $835 million in the first four months of this year. The bilateral trade turnover is targeted to reach five billion euros by 2020. 
Việt Nam mainly exports aquatic products, coffee, textiles, rice and footwear to Spain, while importing chemicals, machines, pharmaceuticals, milk, electronics and spare parts.
In January, Cuatro reported tra fish in Việt Nam was being raised in unclean cages and fed with non-industrialised feed such as dead fish and other food waste. That’s reason why Vietnamese tra fish was sold at low price.
Upon receiving information about the Cuatro report, VASEP sent a letter to the local media, rejecting the report in its entirety and stressing that Việt Nam’s tra fish production was hygienic and safe. — VNS