Seafood enterprises advised to boost domestic consumption

Employees of a seafood processing enterprise in the Mekong Delta process tra fish fillets - PHOTO: TRUNG CHANH

Ho Chi Minh City – Enterprises should make changes to their aquatic product processing and manufacturing to serve the domestic market of some 97 million consumers besides export markets, Nguyen Quoc Toan, acting head of the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority, said at a seminar on October 8.

Toan also called on experts and leaders to map out measures to boost domestic seafood consumption in the coming period, VietnamPlus news site reported.

Speaking at the seminar, themed “Development for domestic aquatic product consumption,” held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Toan said that Vietnam’s per capita seafood consumption grows every year, amounting to 31 kilograms per person in 2017. The figure could rise to 33-35 kilograms in 2020.

Given over 13 million international tourists visiting Vietnam annually, domestic aquatic product consumption is forecast to surge in the coming period, Toan added.

He suggested enterprises focus on developing the domestic consumption market because of its great potential.

In addition to 600 Vietnamese facilities processing seafood for export, Vietnam is currently home to some 4,000 small and medium-sized seafood-processing firms that turn out more than 540,000 tons of products worth more than VND20 trillion each year and offer jobs to 40,000 laborers.

Moreover, domestic seafood consumption contributed to production stabilization when the country’s exports encountered difficulties in the global market.

Toan highlighted the importance of origin traceability which helps build up consumer confidence in domestic products, proposing enterprises perfect their manufacturing and processing system to serve the domestic market.

It is necessary to review and replace some inappropriate policies, supplement preferential policies and incentives to attract investors and link production and consumption chains to bolster domestic seafood consumption, according to the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority.

Representative of the authority also stressed the need for the enhancement of checks on food hygiene and standards and the application of a quality management system to processors’ operations.

Besides this, localities should foster trade promotion activities so that the aquatic products of traditional villages can access major markets, consolidate and develop farm produce markets to form efficient wholesale markets, monitor product quality and invest in advanced technology and equipment.