MoIT strives to boost agri-aquatic products export to Australia

Việt Nam is working with Australia to export fresh fruits including dragon fruits to this country in 2017. — Photo hoangha

HÀ NỘI – The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has joined hands with other ministries and sectors to promote the export of agri-aquatic products to Australia. 

According to the Ministry’s Import-Export Department, Australia is among the largest buyers of farm and aquatic products of Việt Nam, resulting in an annual average import value of US$450 million in 2011-16. 

MoIT has actively worked with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to address technical barriers to bring shrimps and fresh fruits to Australia. 

Following a long period of negotiations, Việt Nam’s lychees and mangoes were first shipped to Australia in 2015 and 2016, respectively. 

MoIT and the MARD have been working hard for the export of other fresh fruits such as dragon fruits, longan, star apple and rambutan to this market. 

The two ministries have worked tirelessly to win Australia’s acceptance of Việt Nam’s applications for importing raw shrimps that are caught naturally in Australia for processing, and then re-exported to Australia. 

The two ministries are working together to urge the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources to accelerate the recognition of Việt Nam’s shrimp safety from white sport disease and the quality safety control system to allow Việt Nam to ship its fresh whole shrimps to the market at the earliest. 

They have also provided support for the Việt Nam-Australia Group and Minh Phú Company to soon sell high-quality shrimp products to the Australian market. 

According to Việt Nam’s Trade Office in Australia, Australia is the seventh largest import market of Vietnamese shrimps, which consumes 3.6 per cent of the country’s total shrimp export volume. In the past five years, Việt Nam has been the largest supplier of processed shrimps for Australia. Despite the market’s strict requirements, it is considered a promising market for Vietnamese firms due to high and increasing demand.

In 2016, Việt Nam earned $114.6 million from shipping shrimp to Australia, 78 per cent of which was processed shrimps. 

Meanwhile, Australia tends to narrow down its import markets and focus on only major ones, which is also an advantage for Việt Nam.