International aquaculture organizations are working together with the Vietnam fisheries industry to standardize the raising of tra and basa catfish for discerning overseas markets, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
The program is built by EUREGAP – a Swiss office that grants the Good Aquaculture Practice (GAP), and the Aquaculture Certification Council (ACC) a US non-governmental body established to certify social, environmental and food safety standards at aquaculture facilities across the world.
The standards are to be implemented next year, said the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP).
Accordingly local aquaculture raisers and processors have to adapt the GAP to qualify for ACC certificates.
VASEP said this was good news for the Vietnamese seafood industry as many global seafood retailers required ACC documentation from suppliers.
According to foreign experts, international standards for tra and basa catfish are possible for a wide range of Vietnamese companies regardless of their size if they can collectively meet processing protocols.
Vietnamese tra and basa catfish, which are being mostly raised in southern An Giang province, have been shipped to over 40 markets in Asia, Europe and North America.
Export prices of Vietnamese tra and basa catfish rose slightly to reach fresh highs in the past week on the international market, according to the local exporters.
On weekend trading, a ton of Vietnamese tra and basa catfish went for USUS$4,440-5,730, doubling rates in the same period last year, an all-time record high, exporters said.
Exporters attributed the rise to mounting orders from European countries and Canada and processors’ good performance in meeting international seafood standards.
Last year, the export price of catfish was US$2,220 per ton, mostly due to low quality.
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