At the conference
Speaking at a seminar to discuss solutions to boost Vietnam's fish sauce exports this afternoon in Hanoi, the Vietnam Association of Fish Sauce in collaboration with the Vietnam Cuisine Culture Association (VCCA) and Agrotrade under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held a seminar on ‘Promoting export exporting fish sauce - orientation and solutions’.
According to the Vietnam Association of Fish Sauce, exporting fish sauce is the goal of manufacturers and traders in this industry globally. Vietnam is a country favored by nature and has a long experience in fish sauce production. According to the Agrotrade, the country currently has more than 4,200 fish sauce production facilities with an average output of nearly 380 million liters in 2020.
In recent years, not only serving domestic consumption needs, Vietnam's fish sauce products are also promoting the application of science and technology and strict standards for ensuring safety and hygiene for export with the aim to build customers’ trust and loyalty abroad.
However, Vietnamese fish sauce is facing strong competition in the export market with a modest market share compared to its potential. According to Dr. Le Thanh Hoa, Deputy Director of Agrotrade cum Director of Vietnam Sanitary and Phytosanitary Notification Authority and Enquiry Point, the country’s average fish sauce export rate of only reached about 12.6 percent of the total output.
The Asian market accounts for more than 54 percent while the Australian market makes up more than 18 percent, Europe more than 13 percent, and America more than 13 percent. The total export turnover of fish sauce in 2021 reached US$28.53 million.
For sustainable development of the fish sauce industry for export, it is necessary to ensure the source of raw materials in both quantity and quality. Moreover, the government should have boats specializing in fishing for fish sauce processing, said Mr. Le Thanh Hoa. He also suggested studying customers’ tastes and expanding export markets with a variety of fish sauce types by completing dossiers of traceability and the food safety regulations of markets in the world.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien also said that in order to promote exports and promote fish sauce products, it is necessary to gradually build a national brand for Vietnam's fish sauce as well as to create export products that are imbued with national cultural identity. Furthermore, at the same time, it is necessary to promote marine farming, associated with the marine economy to develop the export fish sauce industry, according to Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien.
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development also proposed upgrading infrastructure, factories, and containers for the processing fish sauce and apply for food safety and quality management programs in production. Another solution suggested by Mr. Tien was to pay more attention to packaging and labels to ensure food safety and environmental protection.
As a final solution Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien suggested a research project to assess the risks and risks of histamine in fish sauce is needed to propose an amendment to the Standard for Fish Sauce (CODEX STAN 302-2011), which applies to fish sauce produced through fermentation by mixing fish and salt and may include other ingredients added to assist the fermentation process with the aim to create favorable conditions for Vietnam to export fish sauce.
According to Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Fish Sauce Tran Dang, being a socio-professional organization, the association is supporting its members to promote and protect the brand, and ability competition and export Vietnam's fish sauce industry in the international market.
The association has connected scientific research units and organizations to have applied topics and projects, helping fish sauce production enterprises increase protein recovery efficiency, obtain fish sauce products, improve quality, meet technical requirements and food safety, and meet international standards.
The Vietnam Fish Sauce Association wishes to develop Vietnam's fish sauce industry like the wine industry of some countries in the world, with a smooth combination of science and tradition, between the old quintessence and accurate technology measurement to produce millions of bottles of delicious fish sauce, of uniform quality and suitable for consumer taste in many markets, said Mr. Dang.
