Dong Thap grants identification numbers to tra fish ponds

Dong Thap – Nearly 100 percent of tra fish ponds used for commercial production in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap have been granted identification numbers, reported the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

A tra fish farm in Dong Thap province’s Thanh Binh district. (Photo: VNA) 

The numbers ensure traceability of the fish used for processing and export, the department said.

Local farmers who are granted the numbers have to store traceability date about their fish for 24 months from the date of harvesting or selling to processing businesses.

The numbers aim to encourage local farmers adopt good agricultural practices (GAP) standards like VietGAP and GlobalGAP, according to the provincial Fisheries Sub-department.

Around 60 percent of the province’s tra fish are bred to GlobalGAP or other comparable standards.

The department encourages famers to collaborate with processing companies to adopt these quality standards.

Dong Thap now has 20 tra fish companies which have bred and processed the fish for export.

As the largest tra fish producer in the Mekong Delta, Dong Thap currently has 2,450ha of tra fish ponds. It plans to increase the tra fish farming area to 2,600ha by the year-end with an expected output of 530,000 tonnes.