Oyster farmers in Tainan are urging the government to establish a labeling system to help consumers distinguish between locally farmed oysters and those imported from Vietnam.
The Tainan Fishermen’s Association on Tuesday said a flood of oysters is entering Taiwan from Vietnam and being passed off as locally produced.
During the oyster harvesting season last month and this month, oyster wholesalers have been reluctant to purchase locally farmed oysters as imported ones were cheaper, the association said, citing reports from local farmers.
Photo: Wang Shu-hsiu, Taipei Times
Oysters from Vietnam account for a large share of Taiwan’s market, the association said.
By November last year, 1,331 tonnes of oysters had been imported from the country and passed off as domestically farmed, the association said, adding that this not only affected the livelihoods of local farmers, but could also cause food safety problems.
About 4,500 tonnes of oysters are harvested annually in Tainan, it said.
The association urged the government to impose controls on oyster imports, require country-of-origin labeling, and improve border checks and tests of imports.
The annual oyster output in Tainan is NT$400 million to NT$500 million (US$14.48 million to US$18.1 million), Tainan Bureau of Agriculture Deputy Director-General Lee Chien-yu (李建裕) said.
Domestically grown oysters are sold for about NT$267 to NT$300 per kilogram, while imported ones from Vietnam are sold for only NT$200 per kilogram, which has led some sellers to pass off imports as domestic products to boost profits, Lee said.
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