Vietnam recorded USD 62.3 million in seafood exports to the Middle East, in which UAE occupies USD 28.8 million in 2008, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), earning the country a spot among the world’s top ten seafood exporters. In line with aims to hit Vietnam’s seafood export target of USD 4 billion this year, VASEP has announced its extensive participation at the upcoming ‘Sea Food Expo 2009’, the region’s only dedicated seafood event, which is slated to run from October 12 to 14, 2009 at the Madinat Arena Conference Hall, Madinat Jumeirah.
With fisheries export positioned as the nation’s fourth largest hard currency earner, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Vietnam has called for closer coordination among regulators and businesses to further improve product quality. The country is further aiming to boost its exports of various items, including frozen seafood such as Pangasius fillet, shrimp, Cephalopus and marine fish. Under the national pavilion of VASEP, a total of 11 Vietnamese seafood exporters are set to showcase their high quality products at the event, with a focus on securing significant orders from the participants from across the region and the world.
“VASEP represents the players who are driving the fisheries sector in Vietnam and is taking major strides in improving product quality, and ensuring continuous double shipments to demanding markets such as the Middle East, East Europe, Africa, and South America; traditional markets like China, the US, the EU, Japan, Canada, and South Korea; and especially to potential-laden one like the Middle East,” said Mr. Nguyen Hoai Nam, Deputy General Secretary, VASEP. “Under the auspices of the Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, we are planning an extensive participation at ‘Sea Food Expo 2009’ to highlight the quality of Vietnamese seafood products. In addition, we will also roll out activities building more brand names as well as trade promotions.”
In addition to international delegations, ‘Sea Food Expo 2009’ is expected to welcome some of the UAE’s largest seafood companies, including Deep Seafood LLC, East Fish Processing LLC, Continental Food Processing LLC, IFTRA, Ocean Fisheries LLC, ABT Consulting FZE, and Magenta Fish & Seafood Supply LLC. In addition, relevant government organisations from across the globe, including Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters & Producers, Turkish Seafood Promotion Committee, Canadian Sablefish Association, New Brunswick Department of Fisheries (Canada), Marine Export Promotion and Development Authority - MEPDA (India), and the Department of Fisheries of Malaysia, Department of Fisheries of Thailand, China Aquatic Products Processing & Marketing Association - CAPPMA, and Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries - MOMAF (Republic of Indonesia) have also confirmed their endorsement for and participation at the event
“We are proud of the name we have built for ‘Sea Food Expo’ among large scale seafood exporting organisations such as VASEP, whose participation indicates strong confidence in the event as a platform to gain global exposure for its seafood products to potential buyers. Amidst the economic slowdown, we are expecting the participation of several other global organisations – proof that the market remains stable in the face of the global crisis,” concluded Nafees Ahmed, Project Manager, Orange Fairs & Events.
