Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has certified total 47 fishing ports across the country now authorized to grant certificates of origin.
The list was included in two circulars issued by the ministry on 18 and 26 March. The ports were assigned because they are equipped with sufficient systems for certificates of origin, said the ministry.
The move is part of Vietnam’s efforts to implement the European Commission’s recommendations for addressing the European Commission’s “yellow card” warning. The warning was imposed in October 2017 as the E.C claimed Hanoi had not done enough to tackle illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The new list came as good news for local seafood companies, especially the country’s tuna processors. On 15 November last year, the Ministry of Agriculture through a circular asked local fishing ports to suspend granting certificates of origin for fish coming through their ports until they received certification from the ministry.
As a result, by early March, many tuna companies were maxing out their land-based storage capacity, as no tuna bought since January had yet been granted a certificate of origin – a prerequisite for exporting to the European Union. Unable to fulfill their contracts, the companies risked having to pay compensation fees to their E.U. buyers, Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said earlier this month.
In its yellow card warning to Vietnam, the E.C. stipulated that Vietnam enact nine recommendations to have the designation lifted. Those included including revising its legal framework to ensure compliance with international and regional rules applicable to the conservation and management of fisheries resources; ensuring the effective implementation and enforcement of the country’s revised laws; increasing the traceability of its seafood products; preventing sales of IUU products; and strengthening the effective implementation of international rules and management measures.
