The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has moved to allow 12 seafood companies from Vietnam to resume exports of their products to Saudi Arabia following a ban in 2018, according to a statement from Vietnam Government News Portal issued on 15 September.
The Saudi Arabia embassy in Hanoi had already sent a note to Vietnamese authorities to announce the SFDA’s decision, the portal quoted the Asia-Africa Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam as saying.
The statement did not give a list of the products approved to be shipped to Saudi Arabia, but said they are wild-catch seafood.
In early 2018, the SFDA temporarily suspended imports of fish, crustaceans, and other products of aquatic animal origin from Vietnam due to the presence of two diseases in the Southeast Asian nation. The ban, effective 23 January of that year, was based on the World Organization for Animal Health’s "Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report (Asia-Pacific Region) April - June 2017," which shows that white spot disease and acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease are present in Vietnam.
The removal of the ban on the 12 companies is a result of collaborated efforts by Vietnam’s ministries of industry and trade, agriculture, and diplomatic delegations of Vietnam in Saudi Arabia in the engagement with their counterparts from the Middle East country, the Vietnamese statement said.
The concerned exporters had also cooperated closely with Vietnamese authorities to address their shortcomings and complete their own assessment dossiers for submitting to SFDA.
The Vietnam’s Asia-Africa Market department said the Ministry of Industry and Trade will continue to work with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to persuade the SFDA to give export permission for more seafood companies from Vietnam. Its ultimate goal is to get the ban removed.
Saudi Arabia is a demanding market for food safety and hygiene. It is also an important market in the Middle East. Therefore, exporters should work to improve their production processes to ensure quality, hygiene, and food safety for their products, the Vietnamese department said.
The 12 seafood companies approved to export to Saudi Arabia include:
- Halong Canfoco in Da Nang City
- Binh Dinh Fishery Joint Stock Company in Binh Dinh Province
- Thanh Dung Canning Company Limited in Phu Yen Province
- Tin Thinh Co.,Ltd in Khanh Hoa Province
- Fujiura Nha Trang Ltd in Khanh Hoa Province
- T&H Nha Trang Company Limited in Khanh Hoa Province
- Mariso Viet Nam Company Limited in Khanh Hoa Province
- HAI NAM Co.,Ltd in Binh Thuan Province
- Pataya Food Industries (Vietnam) Limited in Can Tho City
- Tien Trien Company Limited in Kien Giang Province
- Rach Gia KISIMEX Factory in Kien Giang Province
- Viet Long Kien Giang Limited Company in Kien Giang Province
Photo courtesy of IVAN KUZKIN/Shutterstock
