“Say no with scrambling for purchase and sale, associate to establish a national brand for Vietnam's tra catfish is extremely urgent. We cannot rely on enterprises' self-awareness but need the administrator's "iron hand", emphasised Mr Truong Vinh Thanh, Director General of International Investment and Development Corporation (IDI), Sao Mai An Giang Group, in an interview with VIB Forum.
Businesses and farmers: mutual benefit
Starting business in aquaculture, an industry dominated by many bosses, could you please unveil some of IDI's development directions?
Since establishment, IDI has clearly identified its development objective towards mutual benefit between enterprises and farmers. Farmers directly produce wealth so it will be to kill oneself if enterprises only care about their benefit without appreciating farmers' benefit. Developing businesses in the relation with community, assuring social security, and being environment-friendly will contribute to sustainable agricultural growth.
The Mekong River Delta is endowed with favourable environment for the growth of tra catfish. Therefore, it is important to exploit this advantage in attachment with environmental protection, and especially building a brand name for Vietnam's tra catfish.
What has IDI done to realise these objectives?
Associating with breeders, and signing product consumption contracts, thereby IDI will invest in rearing households 1.7 kilogrammes of food and VND2,500 to collect one kilogramme of material fish. Under this investment model, it is unnecessary for breeders to care about price movement of food and fish, but to feed the fish as instructed by technical process to obtain high economic efficiency. The company will be flexible in supporting from varieties and food to price of finished products, willing to buy at higher price than stated in contracts when market price increases to assure mutual benefit.
Establishing a team of skilful and permanent workers is the IDI's guideline. We guarantee that workers can earn VND2.5 - 3.5 million a month. The company's staff will have meals between shifts at the factory. IDI is also building tenement houses for workers.
Spontaneous aquiculture creating excessive output of tra and basa catfish plus Government's support has undeliberately offered processing businesses with double profit. What is your opinion about this issue?
This is just an interim benefit that such enterprises of sustainable development tendency as IDI do not expect. To assure producers' benefit, poor people to be precise, the urgent solution is to quickly implement the plan of rearing tra and basa catfish recently approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. We must balance the output and focus on quality. Only when we create a supply and demand balance can the mutual interests be addressed.
Survival of the fittest equals suicide
National brand is the "passport" for our catfish to approach the global market. Is it true that Vietnamese processing enterprises are unrealised about this fact?
In fact, this is a crucial and obvious issue to processing and exporting businesses. However, it is not easy to solve. At present, the situation of fighting for purchase and sale keeps occurring. Some enterprises have not paid much attention to quality, creating opportunities for importing countries to set up quality barriers.
What do you think that the Government and Vietnamese enterprises should do to avoid this problem?
Maintaining the naturally selective way of doing business means killing oneself. It is the time we should not rely on enterprises' self-awareness. The Government should take tough measures to force businesses to closely cooperate and build the brand name for Vietnam's catfish. There are thousands of processing companies but the catfish brand name is unique.
In addition, the Government should assist enterprises in finding new markets, organise trade fairs to introduce Vietnam's catfish in particular and aquiculture in general in potential markets for the sustainable aquatic development.
Quoc Hung
Vietnamese
