New regulations set for pangasius farms

New regulations set for pangasius farms

Vietnamese authorities have passed a decree making it compulsory for commercial fish farms to apply for VietGAP Standard or other international standard certification by 31 December 2015.
Update: (12/10/2014)

Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters & Producers (VASEP) has forecast that there will be 30 per cent of VietGAP certified aquaculture farms by 2015, which will reach 80 per cent by 2020.

The Vietnamese Government consider this certification is crucial to minimize the negative impacts of aquaculture, to develop sustainable farming, to enhance product value and to promote export activities.

In compliance with Vietnamese Law commercial fish farms are to be located in the planning areas approved by People's Committee in localities and to register fish superficies and output with local managing agencies.

The new decree also includes detailed regulations on quality and food safety of processed Vietnamese catfish products and the fact that raw pangasius for processing needs to be grown on farms satisfying the regulated requirements.

Besides, processed pangasius is required to comply with regulations on seafood quality and food safety set by Vietnam and other importing markets.

In the case of frozen processed pangasius fillets, Vietnamese processing facilities are asked to use chemicals, additives listed by Vietnamese law and other importing countries.

They also have to use fingerlings, feed, vet drugs, biological products, micro-organisms and chemical products permitted by Vietnamese law.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Fisheries, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in collaboration with Metro Cash and Carry. Vietnam has organized training courses for farmers in the Mekong Delta on VietGAP standards since September 2014, which will finish at the end of 2014.

Accordingly, the Directorate of Fisheries will support the survey, analysis, and certification for farms that achieve VietGAP standards.

VASEP informed that pangasius production reached 1.1 million tonnes with total farming area of 5,200 ha while brackish water shrimp yield was 550,000 tonnes from the total farming area of 666,000 ha.

from Worldnews,