Representatives of four seafood associations from Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and China have released a multilateral statement on measures designed to boost cooperation and the consideration of setting up an alliance for the shrimp industry.
The Business Forum newspaper quoted the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters an Producers (VASEP) on May 13 as saying that the document was signed at the 2009 Shrimp Industry Development Forum in Zhanjiang, China, which looked into the current global shrimp production and trading situation and how it is affecting each domestic industry.
Accordingly, the four associations will establish regular information exchange channels with each association assigning a coordinator to facilitate effective communication.
They will also work together to take measures to reduce or eliminate trade tariffs and technical barriers, including sharing the latest technologies in shrimp farming and processing.
They will share information and maintain a black list of international companies that engage in questionable or illegal business practices in order to discourage dealings with such companies. The information will be used to support an equal and honest business market, helping businesses avoid unnecessary damage.
The associations will be asked to obey the principle of producing according to demand as the production scale in each country is planned and developed, and of protecting the benefit in each part of the industry.
They also agreed to improve the shrimp products processing and management, to increase the variety of products, expand the domestic shrimp consumption market and increase the diversification of the market in order to boost demand. They plan to establish traceability systems, and encourage enterprises to reach for appropriate international certifications.
Last but not least, the four associations will consider the establishment of a global shrimp industry alliance with a rotating president, including other main producing countries such as Ecuador, India, Mexico, Brazil, Bangladesh, among others.
The four countries now produce 80 percent of the world’s farmed shrimp.