Imported Chinese sturgeons pose challenge to domestic producers

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh has asked competent agencies to tighten the management of sturgeon importation in response to information in the press and mass media that sturgeons had been imported illegally into Vietnam from China.

As reported by Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper (VAN), Vietnam Fisheries Society, Lam Dong Province Cold Water Fish Development Association, and Lao Cai Province Cold Water Fish Association have continuously sent documents to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and related agencies “calling for help” about the trade of unknown sturgeons in many big cities and wholesale markets.

These sturgeons are not on the list of aquatic species permitted to be traded in Vietnam, they said.

According to domestic enterprises and breeders, Chinese sturgeons shipped through official and illegal channels affect the sturgeon farming industry and the quality of the Vietnamese sturgeon.

The import of sturgeon from China with large quantities and that they are sold at price being equal to two-thirds farm-raised Vietnamese sturgeon created unfair competition between these two kinds, they said.

Currently, there are only 5 species of sturgeon that are permitted to import into Vietnam. They include Beluga sturgeon (huso huso), Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), Sterlet sturgeon (Acipenser ruthenus), Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis), and the Serbian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii).

However, some individuals and organizations have used tricks and even smuggled Chinese sturgeon outside the list and then mixed with Vietnamese sturgeon to deceive consumers.

Some businesses including An Hung Investment and Import-Export Co Ltd have taken advantage of the licensed dossier to import a large amount of sturgeon to the Vietnamese market.

Through inspections, competent agencies have detected that the imported fish was not in line with the one recorded in the customs declaration. The difference was up to 4,000kg of Chinese sturgeon which equals VND413 million (US$18,000)

It is estimated that the number of sturgeons imported from Chinese in 2018, 2019, and 2020 was 1,164, 1,849 and 1,000 tons, respectively.

Reporters from Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper has visited major wholesale markets in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and detected that a large number of Chinese sturgeon are not included in the permitted list on sale there.

According to the Directorate of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the sturgeon was in Appendix II of the International Convention on the Trade of Endangered Wild Fauna and Flora, which are strictly controlled by CITES Vietnam and specialized management agencies.

However, at present, there are some imported sturgeon species with unknown origin and without quarantine on sale in the market which can affect consumers' health, the environment, and fish production in Vietnam.

Preventing unclear origin sturgeon

Following reports from VAN, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh has directed the Ministry of Public Security and Steering Committee for Combating Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Counterfeit Goods (Steering Committee 389) to clarify the information.

Earlier, Mai Tien Dung, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office has also requested the MARD to deal with difficulties local farmers have been facing.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has asked the Market Watchdog forces to collaborate with Steering Committee 389 to enhance the circulation and transport of sturgeon on the market to prevent trade fraud and protect the interest of breeders and consumers.

The Ministry of Finance has also required the General Department of Vietnam Customs to tighten the management of sturgeon importation.

Vietnam’s sturgeon output in 2020 was estimated to reach over 3,700 tons, accounting for 11.5 of the world output.

The economic value of sturgeon is over VND 500 billion. The production growth in the 2007-2020 period was an average of 68.75 percent a year.

Sturgeon farming has not only increased revenue for the State Budget but also contributed to social security, creating jobs, and raising income for thousands of workers, especially those in mountainous, remote, and extremely disadvantaged areas.

Currently, 25 cities and provinces of the country have engaged in raising sturgeon with the involvement of more than 300 establishments, cooperatives, and households.