The appearance of white spot disease in Vietnamese shrimp is the main reason why Saudi Arabia temporarily stopped clearing Vietnamese shrimp containers.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has just received a dispatch from the Vietnamese Embassy in Saudi Arabia announcing that Saudi Arabia is temporarily not clearing customs for shrimp shipments originating from Vietnam due to the appearance of White Spot Disease.

White spot disease concerns, Saudi ArabiaTemporarily suspend customs clearance of shrimp containers originating from Vietnam

According to the dispatch, the Saudi Arabia Food and Drug Administration based on reports from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) which mentioned the appearance of white spot disease in shrimp originating from Vietnam.

The agency has notified import food inspection units not to clear fresh, chilled or frozen shrimp shipments originating from Vietnam until health conditions have been ensured.

Cases that are still allowed to be cleared by Saudi Arabia include: Goods that have had their heads and shells removed (except for the tail part of the shrimp) and the entire shipment must be inspected by direct observation and testing.

Products that have been prepared for direct human consumption (such as marinated and prepared for grilling, frying or other cooking methods).

In addition, products that have been heat treated to ensure virus-free status in the manner specified in Articles 9, 6, 3 of the OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code may still be cleared.

Shrimp is the main export product of our country's seafood industry, accounting for more than 40% of total export turnover. In 2015, seafood exports reached 6.7 billion USD, down 15% compared to 2014, of which shrimp exports decreased sharply by 25%, reaching only 3 billion USD due to many export markets being narrowed and shrimp consumption demand decreasing.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, businesses need to pay attention to export-related issues from the beginning of the year to avoid being affected, leading to a decline in exports in 2016./.VPO

According to VOV