Crayfish imported to Vietnam at 'super cheap' prices

Statistics from the General Department of Customs show that from January to May 15, 2019, Vietnamese enterprises imported more than 23 tons of frozen crayfish with shells, a sharp increase compared to the whole year of 2018 with a customs declaration value of more than 82,800 USD. Cat Lai Port (HCMC) is the main import hub for steamed and frozen crayfish to Vietnam.

Accordingly, each kilogram of frozen crayfish imported to Vietnam costs nearly 90,000 VND, 4-6 times cheaper than the retail price to consumers. Currently, on online markets, crayfish are sold for 350,000 - 700,000 VND per kilogram.

Share withPV, a unit that used to import crayfish, said that in reality, the price of importing this type of crayfish into Vietnam is much cheaper, at times only 40,000-70,000 VND per kg. For those who smuggle, they can easily make more profit when they do not have to pay import tax.

According to the General Department of Customs, in 2018, the country imported more than 10 tons of frozen crayfish, with a declared customs value of more than 10,000 USD. This agency affirmed that it has not recorded any official import of live crayfish into Vietnam since 2018. Therefore, the entire quantity of live crayfish currently being sold in Vietnam is smuggled goods.

In 2018, the country imported more than 46 tons of lobsters of all kinds, worth more than 222,000 USD; the average declared price of businesses was only 110,000 VND per kg.

In the first 5 months of the year, the import volume reached 30.3 tons, with a value of 132,600 USD.

Previously, surveys in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi showed that imported live crayfish were widely sold in stores and online. Recently, Lao Cai customs and border guards arrested 7 cases, confiscating 945 kg of crayfish at the border gate of this province. The evidence was destroyed immediately afterwards.

Because of the rampant smuggling of unknown origin, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the General Department of Market Management, and the General Department of Customs have recently ordered relevant management departments and branches to strengthen control and set up checkpoints at border gates, trails, and openings in border areas to prevent crayfish from being smuggled into Vietnam.

Crayfish are a group of alien organisms that destroy crops, often dig burrows, and damage dikes. Because they are omnivorous, crayfish have the ability to adapt well to the environment, leading to the possible spread of fungal diseases, white spot disease viruses in shrimp, as well as some parasites. Since 2011, this species of shrimp has been included in the list of alien organisms banned from import and development.

Two years ago, in Dong Thap province, an overseas Vietnamese brought red-claw crayfish back to do tourism, asking local farmers to raise them in a 2-hectare area, but then they flooded out and destroyed everything, even killing fish as big as fingers. The incident was later stopped, but recently, red-claw crayfish have reappeared in commercial form and have been imported into Vietnam in large numbers.