Russia, one of Vietnam’s largest export markets for pangasius, has reportedly halted imports, citing the presence of microorganisms and impurities.
According to a report on VietNamNet Bridge, Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development informed producers on Dec. 20 that Russia would immediately halt imports of pangasius, or tra.
The report says quality complaints more than doubled this year compared to 2007, indicating that Vietnamese exporters have not paid appropriate attention to the quality of exports bound for Russia, which Vietnam has always considered an easy-to-please market.
Vietnam’s pangasius producers have been affected by the global economic crisis as demand has waned significantly. The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers reported in November that many of its member companies would reduce seafood-processing capacity by 30 to 50 percent due to falling orders caused by the global economic crisis.
