In an interview recently granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Duong Ngoc Minh, head of the managing board for Vietnamese catfish exports under MARD, said that although Russia has only recently started to buy Vietnamese catfish, the volume of fish imported from Vietnam has increased considerably, reaching US$180 million last year. The figure is expected to rise to US$200 million or more in 2009 and in following years.

Vietnamese catfish processors should seize this great opportunity as the Russian market has opened wide its doors to this kind of fish, said Mr Minh.

He said that his board will work closely with exporters and importers to ensure the quality and quantity of the product under contract while promoting Vietnamese catfish in the Russian market.

The board will do its best to bring considerable benefits to Vietnamese farmers and exporters as well as Russian importers and consumers, said Mr Minh.

To this end, it will ask processors to pay special attention to food safety and hygiene regulations, diversify their products to include dried and fried fish, squid and bivalve molluscs, and increase the volume of these products to Russia.

Currently, Vietnam exports catfish products to more than 80 countries and territories around the world and earns US$1.4 billion every year. Its new markets include the Middle East, South Africa and other African countries.