DongThap (VNA) – Nearly 100 percent of tra fish ponds used forcommercial production in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap have beengranted identification numbers, reported the provincial Department ofAgriculture and Rural Development.
Thenumbers ensure traceability of the fish used for processing and export, thedepartment said.
Localfarmers who are granted the numbers have to store traceability date about theirfish for 24 months from the date of harvesting or selling to processingbusinesses.
Thenumbers aim to encourage local farmers adopt good agricultural practices (GAP)standards like VietGAP and GlobalGAP, according to the provincial FisheriesSub-department.
Around60 percent of the province’s tra fish are bred to GlobalGAP or other comparablestandards.
Thedepartment encourages famers to collaborate with processing companies to adoptthese quality standards.
DongThap now has 20 tra fish companies which have bred and processed the fish forexport.
Asthe largest tra fish producer in the Mekong Delta, Dong Thap currently has2,450ha of tra fish ponds. It plans to increase the tra fish farming area to2,600ha by the year-end with an expected output of 530,000 tonnes.-VNA