In an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency, the official said that Vietnam is one of the major aquatic product suppliers to his country, accounting for 13% of the RoK’s total import value of the product.
As of the end of 2021, RoK imported about 800 million USD worth of aquatic products from Vietnam, mostly shrimp and shrimp meat, and octopus, he said, noting that Vietnam is the fourth largest exporter of aquatic products in the world after China, Japan and the U.S.
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RoK Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Cho Seung-Hwan |
Despite concerns about the economic downturn, the demand for imported seafood is expected to continue to increase in line with the rising demand in the world. Besides, the RoK has continued to open its door for food products, he said.
Aquatic imports of the RoK rose from 4.56 billion USD in 2015 to 52.6 billion USD in 2017 and 61.8 billion USD in 2021, said Cho, stressing that the Korean people have the highest average consumption of aquatic products in the world, with 68.4kg per person in 2020.
The minister also highlighted the RoK’s strengths in aquaculture as well as its application of high technology in the industry.
He said that since the beginning of this year, the RoK has implemented a project to enhance the productivity for the aquaculture sector in northern localities of Vietnam, with total cost for the 2022-2026 period reaching about 3.4 million USD.
The project aims to promote research and technical cooperation to improve the productivity of crustacean farming in the northern waters of Vietnam associated with mangrove regeneration. It also focuses on the strengthening of personnel training and technology transfer to ensure the stability of business activities.
Cho expressed his hope that the two sides will continue to promote their collaboration in sustainable aquaculture through cooperation in developing smart and environmentally friendly aquaculture technology with Vietnam in the future.
He also said that his ministry has carried out a number of cooperation projects with Vietnam to strengthen maritime and fisheries capacity, using Korean ODA. The two sides have also enjoyed fruitful cooperation in maritime safety policy consultation and seaport development.
The two countries also work closely in the field of marine engineer training since 2020. Minister Cho said he hopes that with the development of the construction technology, Korean companies will have the opportunity to participate in seaport development projects in Vietnam.
The two countries can also work together to respond to global issues such as climate change, marine pollution settlement and the protection of aquatic resources, he stated.
Source: VNA