Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the United States recovered in the second-quarter of this year with an 8.4 percent increase in trade, thanks to rising demand and an increase in the raw material supply. However, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has expressed its concern about the potential impact that the new U.S. Catfish Inspection program that came into effect this month could have on the trade.
VASEP said pangasius exports to the United States were “steady” after 2 August – the date from which all batches of products of siluriformes (catfish) products to be shipped to the market became subject to food safety tests. But Truong Dinh Hoe, general secretary of the association, said that while he believes that Vietnam’s pangasius industry has been well developed with a substantial and stringent food safety control system, he was worried that an import discrimination policy from the U.S. government may result in unfavorable and unfair decisions taken against Vietnam.
During an 18-month transitional period, both sides have worked out cooperative approaches to common issues and the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has also given close guidance on how to comply with the new requirements, confirmed Hoe.
After receiving official notification from FSIS that inspections of siluriformes would start on 2 August instead of the previously advised 1 September, Vietnam’s National Agro Forestry Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (NAFIQAD) provided inspection requirement guidance to companies eligible to export to the U.S. market, including such areas as labeling, detailed inspection contents, and testing parameters for chemical residues and speciation.
Following this guidance, on 15 August the Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) issued Decision 3379/QD-BNN-QLCL providing the Siluriformes Controlling Program for exports to the United States effective from 1 September.
NAFIQAD has also been preparing a complete equivalence package – to be submitted to FSIS on 20 August – after which, FSIS will initiate the review process of the submitted documentation, and if the submission provides an initial basis for believing the country to be equivalent, FSIS will do an in-country audit.
VASEP said it hoped that the governments of Vietnam and United States would come up with solutions so as not to disrupt the trade between the two countries.
In the first six months of this year, the United States remained the No.1 overseas market for Vietnamese pangasius with export revenues totaling USD 176.4 million (EUR 150.5 million), a decline of 5.7 percent year-on-year.
