February 27, 2008

Vietnam steps up catfish development projects

Vietnam's initial activities of the Better Management Practices (BMP) for catfish aquaculture in the Mekong Delta took place in Can Tho University, boosting catfish production in the country.

The Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) organized the training and information sessions which were followed by visits to farms and processing plants.

The move for continuous improvements in Vietnam's catfish industry came after the industry's boom in 2007 when around 1.2 million tonnes of catfish were produced. It already exceeded the government's 2010 development target, generating US$1 billion economic boost to farmers and rural communities.

Vietnam's catfish industry is in a phase of rapid expansion with issues of sustainability raised by several non governmental organizations.

However, previous scenarios have shown that such sustainability standards can be difficult for small scale farmers to comply, specifically when high targets are set without any practical guidance to farmers on how to meet them.

The BMP comes into play by helping farmers improve their management practices, deliver increased profitability and environmental performance through efficient use of resources.

The project is being implemented over a two-year period by the Department of Primary Industries Victoria, the Research Institute for Aquaculture and Can Tho University together with NACA.