August 28, 2007

Vietnam to set standards for tra and basa catfish

Vietnam is set to up its standards on tra and basa catfish through an aquaculture international seminar to be held on September 26 to 27 in Ho Chi Minh City. 

The seminar -- which is organized by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) -- will look to propose and reach agreements on measures to prevent the impacts of catfish farming on the environment as the market's demand for tra and basa catfish continue to rise.

According to the WWF, the seminar will also discuss production measures on salmon, shrimp, tilapia and other aquatic products.

Recently, the catfish raising acreage in nine Mekong Delta provinces of Vietnam expanded to more than 3,600 hectares, with annual yield of between 50 to 80 tonnes per hectare.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that in the first half of this year, the country's total output of raised tra and basa catfish reached 400,000 tonnes, a 100 percent increase over the same period last year.

Vietnam is exporting tra and basa catfish to more than 30 countries, with the EU as the biggest buyer.