“It is necessary to have a quality benchmark and international brand for the industry which accounts for a major part of seafood exports,” Luong Le Phuong, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development told a meeting in Ho Chi Minh City Monday.

Pangasius and shrimp are key export items for the seafood industry which earned the country US$3.8 billion last year.

Phuong said to achieve the export target of $4.25 billion this year, it was not enough for businesses to try and expand their markets: the country should have a national policy for seafood produce.

Nguyen Tu Cuong, director of the National Fisheries Quality Assurance and Veterinary Directorate (NAFIQAVED), said the agency was in the process of drafting guidelines for a ministry decision issued recently.

The decision calls for regulating labe-ling, water content, and use of chemicals in pangasius meant for export.

Cuong said labels were being devised and would have at least six components - name, net weight, production date, producer’s name, quality code, and country of origin.

Water content, which enables quick-freezing pangasius to retain quality and prevents it from spoiling, should not exceed 10 percent of the net weight, he said, adding, however, that some importing countries specified 20 percent.

The draft also spelled out the 43 chemicals that were allowed to be used for processing and freezing the pangasius, he said.

Promoting image, boosting export “Seafood processors will be prohibited from exporting if they fail to meet any of the criteria,” Cuong said, adding the guidelines would come into effect once the directorate finished gathering feedback from businesses and individuals.

Tran Thi Mieng, a senior ministry official, said the ministry had consulted international lawyers to design and register a logo for Vietnamese pangasius both domestically and globally.

It would be a national property and pangasius processors could use it for their exports if they were certificated by the ministry.

Phuong said his ministry would classify exporters in the manner of customs.

Thus, exporters who strictly followed regulations and shipped large volumes would be assisted with quality testing, saving them time.

Vietnamese pangasius exporters were facing stiff competition from rivals like China, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Thailand, he admitted.

Reported by Minh Quang