Proposal to 'rescue' tuna stuck in export jam

Tuna is in large backlog due to export congestion. PHOTO: Contributor

On June 26, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) sent a dispatch to the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) regarding difficulties related to the production and business activities of enterprises.

According to VASEP, the most important issue at present is to resolve the backlog and congestion of tuna production in the Central provinces. When the US market worsened, other markets became the hope to release the supply, the amount of tuna that fishermen have exploited in the past year is very large in many provinces in the Central region and so far cannot be exported. VASEP recommends that the Government soon consider and remove these difficulties and obstacles by issuing a Decree amending Decree 37/2024/ND-CP in the near future, in which the size and length of skipjack tuna allowed to be exploited are adjusted.

Another problem is related to testing for banned antibiotics in seafood, but there is no regulation on "minimum detection threshold of equipment - MRPL". This legal gap makes it so that many seafood products can meet export standards to the EU, but cannot enter supermarkets in Vietnam to sell to domestic consumers. According to VASEP, in 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Circular No. 28/2019, which regulates "minimum detection threshold of equipment - MRPL". However, by February 2024, Circular 28 was canceled and expired. Representing businesses, VASEP proposed that the Ministry of Health soon add this missing content to the legal framework of the draft revised Law on Food Safety, which is being drafted by the Ministry of Health.

Shrimp floss is processed into many products that are popular in foreign markets, but its export is blocked because it is not granted a certificate of origin.

Regarding shrimp export products, this familiar item brings in hundreds of millions of USD in turnover, but is currently stuck in the EU market due to problems related to regulations against illegal fishing (IUU).

Specifically, in the Central provinces, the shrimp output is quite large and is exploited by fishermen near the shore using small boats, without requiring a fishing license and without having to install VMS equipment (because the boats are less than 15 meters long). Because the small boats mostly dock at the beach, the eCDT software cannot be updated, leading to ineligibility for granting certificates of raw material exploitation (S/C) and Certificates (C/C) for raw shrimp exported to Europe according to current regulations.

In early June 2025, the EU IUU Agency sent a response email to the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), accordingly, Vietnam needs to consider the conditions for exploiting sea shrimp. If Article 6 (according to Regulation 1005/2008 of the EU) is met, businesses can use the Simplified Catch Certificate form to carry out procedures for exporting shrimp products to the EU market. However, to apply the Simplified Catch Certificate form to shrimp products, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment needs to issue specific regulations. VASEP recommends that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment study and issue documents specifying the conditions and requirements for applying the Simplified Catch Certificate form to shrimp products exported to the EU; organize implementation instructions for unified deployment, creating favorable conditions for businesses and fishermen to consume shrimp products./.

According to Thanh Nien Newspaper

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/kien-nghi-giai-cuu-ca-ngu-un-u-vi-ach-tac-xuat-khau-185250626171217216.htm

Source: https://baolongan.vn/kien-nghi-giai-cuu-ca-ngu-un-u-vi-ach-tac-xuat-khau-a197733.html