This is a requirement in the Plan of exploitation, purchasing, processing and exporting of puffer fish in coastal provinces and first tiers. The Plan is reviewed, approved and supervised by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
In order to purchase, process and export puffer fish, enterprises have to register at Agriculture and Rural Development Departments who then will chair and work with relevant sectors and services to build plan and submit it to People’s Committee of provinces and first tiers for their consideration and approval.
Enterprises are allowed to exploit, purchase, transport, preliminarily treat, and process puffer fish for export only but sell in the local market. Any ship to exploit puffer fish must be checked for food safety assurance conditions and granted a code as participant of puffer fish export chain. The ship owner and crew must be granted certificate of realizing, classifying and storing puffer fish on board. The shipscan unload puffer fish at the fishing ports or fishing docks whereprovincial Agriculture and Rural Development Departments agree the unloading. The unloading time must be informed in advance so that provincial Agriculture and Rural Development Departments send officers to check and grant certificate to each puffer fish lot (including information of ship owner’s name, ship code, time and date of unloading, type, quantity of puffer fish and preservation condition).
Additionally, puffer fish processing factories for export which are selected to implement the Plan must be reviewedby National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (Nafiqad). Nafiqad will confirm whether or not these factories satisfy food safety assurance conditions in accordance with regulations of Vietnam and importing countries. Besides, they must be listed and allowed to export. Puffer fish material must be certified the origin by Agriculture and Rural Development Departments. Each lot has to be registered and certified upon regulations of Vietnam and exporting markets. Moreover, it must be taken sample for testing Tetrodotoxin.
VFM
