The Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS) under the United States Department of Agriculture has recognised six more Vietnamese pangasius processing factories that are eligible to export products to the US, raising the number of establishments to 19, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (NAFIQAD).

It is expected to boost the export of Vietnamese pangasius to the US market in the near future.

The six facilities are the Hop Nhat Seafood Corporation, Atlantic Seafood Freezing factory, Basa Mekong factory, High grade pangasius product exporting & Processing Factory, Co May 2 seafood processing export factory and CK Frozen Food Vietnam Co. Ltd.

NAFIQAD also noted that factories should comply with the provisions of the programme on controlling food safety for siluriformes fish and fish products exported to the US issued in Decision No. May 22, 2020 and instructions in Official Letter No. 803/QLCL-CL1 dated June 18, 2020, ensuring that the entire chain of production, processing and export of pangasius fully meets the regulations of both Vietnam and the US.

The Centre for Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Zone 4 and 6 will appraise and issue certificates for pangasius shipments of these factories to the US market in accordance with the notice of FSIS.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the total value of pangasius exports to the US market reached 195.3 million USD by mid-April, up 131.4 percent over the same period last year.

VASEP also said that the demand for whitefish in the US and EU is increasing while the Russia-Ukraine conflict has had a significant impact on the world whitefish market./.