According to the Asia-Africa Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Vietnam released an announcement from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) on September 8, in which SFDA stated it will allow 12 Vietnamese seafood enterprises to restart the export of several seafood products to this Middle East country.
Thus, after more than two years, SFDA will initially allow a selection of Vietnamese enterprises to export wild catch fish to Saudi Arabia.
The enterprises approved for the export of wild catch fish to Saudi Arabia include Halong Canfoco – Danang – Company Limited, Binh Dinh Fishery Joint Stock Company, Thanh Dung Canning Company Limited, Tin Thinh Co.,Ltd, Fujiura Nha Trang Ltd, Tien Trien company limited, and others.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) said that this is a good signal for Vietnamese exporters, opening a new opportunity for seafood exports amid the difficulties in many markets due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The MOIT will continue to work with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and other authorised agencies to promote SFDA to allow more Vietnamese seafood companies to export to the Middle Eastern country, towards completely removing the ban on the import of Vietnamese seafood.
However, the MOIT noted that Vietnamese exporters should strengthen inspection over production process and quality of products as Saudi Arabia is a demanding market, and, as the leading market in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia’s policy changes can exert influence on other markets in the region.
