Vietnamese firm to ship first batch of chicken products to Japan in August

Koyu&Unitek Co. Ltd is the first poultry firm in the country to gain access to the Japanese market, and plans to export around 300-400 tons in August this year.

Nguyen Van Quyen, head of the company’s export division, told that the Japanese market is very demanding and has strict control processes, so it had taken nearly two years to complete the necessary procedures.

The most difficult phase was building the company’s own management oversight program following criteria laid out by the World Organization for Animal Health and Japan.

Japanese importers pay special attention to antibiotic residue in products, banned microorganisms and bird flu, among others, said Quyen.

In additon to Japan, his company is also seeking export opportunities in Europe, Australia and Canada. Each market requires its own strategy to meet the respective criteria of each country, said the official.

According to Pham Van Dong, director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department of Animal Health, Vietnamese chickens are usually consumed in the domestic market and are not bred for export.

Only two local companies have registered to export processed chicken to Japan: Koyu&Unitek in July 2016 and CP Vietnam Co. Ltd in late May 2017.

Since the beginning of this year, Vietnam has exported $13.7 billion worth of farm produce, forestry products and seafood to the world market, up 9.5 percent against the same period last year, according to the ministry.