In the last days of October 2022, the Vietnamese fish industry is quite busy and nervous with the event that the European Commission (EC) inspection delegation came to inspect the reality of the Vietnam fish industry to issue the recommendations against illegal, unreported, unregulated food implement (IUU) fisheries. At present, the EC delegation has completed the inspection, the yellow card result has not been removed.

WHERE DOES THE EU STAND IN THE PICTURE OF VIETNAM SEAFOOD EXPORTS?

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), fish companies’ concerns related to a volatile year such as war, inflation and currency devaluation have become even more serious. The fact that the IUU ‘yellow card’ warning has not been removed for 5 years has increasingly blurred EU seafood exports in the picture of seafood exports from Vietnam.

According to customs statistics, by the end of the third quarter of 2022, the EU market (comprising 27 countries) accounted for only 12% of Vietnam’s seafood export value, ranking fourth behind the US, Japan and China.

In the picture of seafood exports valued at US$8.5 billion with all green growth in 9 months of 2022, the EU market also contributes a bright gamut valued at US$1 billion, an increase of 40% compared to the same period in 2021.

“The impact of the IUU yellow card will be even more pronounced in 2022, when the conflict between Russia and Ukraine sent gas prices skyrocketing and fishermen in coastal provinces were unable to set sail. Raw materials to exploit the scarce capital are becoming even more scarce, and especially for the EU market, there is even more shortage due to insufficient and difficult procedures for certification and certification,” emphasizes Ms. Le Hang, Deputy Director of the VASEP.PRO center.

As a result, the EU accounted for only 8% of the total export value of the caught seafood products exported in the first 9 months of this year. Compared to the main markets and market groups importing Vietnamese seafood, the EU market has the smallest share.

By the end of the third quarter of 2022, Vietnam’s exports of exploited seafood brought in over US$3.4 billion, up 40% from the same period last year. The leading market is Japan, which accounts for 23% with USD 795 million, an increase of 37% compared to the same period last year.

The US market was second, accounting for over 19% at $655 million, up 56% from the same period last year. The Chinese market grew the fastest, more than doubling to over $470 million and was the third largest market. Korea also imported more Vietnamese seafood than the EU at nearly $380 million, up 20%.

Although the value of seafood exports to the EU is still increasing, the EU’s position in the picture of seafood exports in general and Vietnamese seafood in particular is becoming increasingly blurred and narrow, mainly due to the impact of the IUU Yellow Card,” he said Ms. Le Hang.

The main caught seafood products exported to the EU market in the first nine months of 2022 include: tuna, octopus, squid, scallops, cod and crab. In general, the export value of these species is higher than that of the EU market .with the same period.

The EU and many other markets like the US and Japan are being hit hard by inflation. From the last months of the year, the prices of both goods and living beings are increasing, forcing consumers to reconsider and limit their spending.

Seafood exports to the EU market, as well as some other major markets, started to slow down from September and will continue to face major difficulties in the last months of the year. New import orders tend to be lower than every year, many orders are asked to delay delivery, making it difficult for exporters.

According to VASEP, Vietnam’s seafood exports are forecast to reach about US$10.7-10.8 billion in all of 2022. The EU market is expected to reach around USD 1.3 billion in 2022.

HAVE NOT BEEN A GOLD TEST, WHAT DOES THE GENERAL FISHERIES DEPARTMENT SAY?

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has just informed about the mission of the European Commission (EC) Inspection Delegation to combat IUU fishing in Vietnam.

Accordingly, the European Commission (EC) inspection team traveled to Vietnam for the third time on October 19-28, 2022 to inspect the situation against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Mr Tran Dinh Luan – Director General of the Directorate of Fisheries (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) said that following the instruction of Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh – Head of the National Steering Committee on IUU at the meeting The Steering Committee for the reception and cooperation with the Inspection delegations from the European Commission (EC), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the municipalities have reinforced the instruction to instruct the municipalities to implement the EC recommendations.

Through the inspection, the EC Inspection Mission further confirmed Vietnam’s political determination to combat IUU fishing, particularly the attention and strong direction of the government leadership. The delegation also assessed that the anti-IUU situation in Vietnam has changed more positively than the actual inspection in 2019. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has provided a full progress report and related documents to ensure transparency.

Khanh Hoa province (local direct inspection team) has basically done well in the task of combating IUU fishing and has fully met the requirements for the delegation’s inspection work. The management of the fleet and the installation of cruise monitoring equipment on fishing vessels have brought about positive changes.

The implementation of the Convention on Port State Measures to Prevent and Combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing by FAO (PSAM Convention) at Cam Ranh International Port has been organized The implementing organization has made many advances compared to before…

Following the inspection by the EC Delegation, this time the EC Delegation continued to make recommendations for Vietnam’s implementation.

To implement the commission’s recommendations, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development called on the government to lead the investigation and severely punish cases of fishing violations in foreign waters. It is necessary to place responsibility for violations on the heads of Party committees and agencies at all levels in the area. Continue to strengthen patrols, inspections and controls in the sea areas to prevent and control fishing vessels from violating foreign waters.

Chairmen of provincial people’s committees must instruct functional agencies and units to screen, inspect and deal with companies in the region if there are violations related to export shipments that violate IUU.