The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) yesterday said its members are struggling to achieve this year's target of $4.25 billion in export revenues.
Truong Dinh Hoe, general secretary of VASEP, told the Saigon Times Daily that seafood exporters and producers face many difficulties caused by the shortage of capital and raw materials.
Vietnam earned more than $1.48 billion in seafood export revenue through May, with earnings from shrimp decreasing considerably, he said. Many shrimp farms have been hit by diseases, especially in the central provinces and the Mekong Delta. The shortage of shrimp is making this year's export target of $1.5 billion unattainable, he said.
Last year, Vietnam exported about 950,000 tons of seafood worth some $3.7 billion, up 13.3 percent from 2006, the newspaper reports. Vietnamese seafood is exported to 145 countries and territories worldwide. The country now ranks third globally in aquaculture production, behind only China and India, and ranks sixth in seafood exports.
