The 6th Philippine Shrimp Congress (PSC) 2008 heard that Viet Nam was now in fifth place for exports of shrimp to the US and third on exports to South Korea and second to Japan.
Thai scientist Dr. Pinij Kungvankij told the congress that Viet Nam's was mostly based in the Mekong delta and employs up to 2 million people and is the fifth most important product for exports, according to reports in the Philippine Sun Star.
Dr Kungvankij said that Thailand, on the other hand, is Asia's front runner in shrimp exports being ranked first in the US, Japan and South Korea import scenes while the Philippines has slipped to 10th in Japan and South Korea.
Dr. Jan Koesling of the Bayer Animal Health, Vietnam, told the congress of the "phenomenal rise" of Vietnam as a major player in the world market, the Sun Star reports.
Dr Koesling said the Vietnamese government created a Ministry of Fishery separate from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
"This brings single focus on aquaculture alone, among them the shrimps."
Other than this, Dr Koesling said Viet Nam has an effective quality assurance control in importation done by its National Fishery Quality Assurance and Veterinary Directorate (NAFIQAVED), which sees to it that imported brood stocks are totally free from luminous bacteria, white spot viruses and other diseases.
Viet Nam Grows in Importance in Shrimp Industry
VIET NAM - Hit hard by the anti-dumping law of the United States of America (USA) in 2004 and also by extreme drought in 2005, the once war-torn Vietnam has overtaken the Philippines as it exports more than 50 percent of its shrimps to USA.