Processing pangasius fillets for export at the factory of the Multinational Development Investment Joint Stock Company (Sao Mai Group) in Dong Thap province.

Nguyen Hoai Nam, Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said that this year, the potential for seafood export is large, but the seafood industry is facing difficulties due to the COVID-19 epidemic. in the past 3 months is too large, so the ability to recover is slow. The association forecasts seafood exports in 2021 to reach $8.4 billion, equivalent to 2020.

Shrimp export value is about 3.8 billion USD, up 3%; pangasius reached 1.5 billion USD, equal to 2020; seafood reached $3.1 billion, down 3%.

According to Mr. Nguyen Hoai Nam, from now until the end of the year, seafood production and export will recover slowly and continue to face difficulties because the industry still lacks raw materials and labor; while input costs, labor, transportation, epidemic prevention... all increased.

In provinces with key fisheries, the percentage of workers vaccinated with vaccines is very low. Meanwhile, this is a condition to open the market and reduce testing costs for businesses. Therefore, localities should give priority to increasing the rate of vaccine coverage for workers in the seafood production chain.

The State has many policies to support businesses and workers to restore production, but according to Mr. Nguyen Hoai Nam, it is necessary to effectively and practically implement mechanisms and policies to support workers so that they can return to work with peace of mind. production such as social insurance, unemployment insurance , trade union, support for people affected by the COVID-19 epidemic.

Currently, many supportive policies are still creating frustration for businesses. Specifically, the trade union industry supports workers to carry out "3 on-site" production, "1 route, 2 destinations," but has the additional condition that factories in provinces and cities have using Directive 16/CT-TTg in the whole province. If that province or city still has 1 or 2 communes in the "green zone", it will not be supported.

Or the support of electricity in the seafood and vegetable processing industry. The 10% level of electricity support is not too large, but it is very meaningful to businesses during difficult times. But now, seafood enterprises in 5 provinces are not allowed to receive this support because of the regulations that the whole province must apply Directive 16/CT-TTg.

Mr. Nguyen Hoai Nam suggested the authorities continue to support new lending conditions, lower loan interest rates, debt rescheduling; have a mechanism to stabilize prices and production input costs; localities create conditions to restore and stabilize the source of raw materials from exploitation and import to increase production and export.

"The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has paid close attention, hoping that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will continue to support and accompany businesses on the way to restore production ahead," said Mr. Nguyen. Hoai Nam suggested.