The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Fisheries General Department and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on December 17 reached an agreement to promote Vietnam’s tra (pangasius) fish so that it can attain global sustainable development standards.
At the meeting, the two sides signed a long-term cooperation memorandum of understating (MOU) to help the fish earn the Aquatic Stewardship Council (ASC) certified credit label, which will bring benefit and market access for the product.
The signing came two days after Mark Powell, global seafood coordinator for WWF, agreed to remove the fish from the Red List in its consumer guidance manual.
Under the MOU, the WWF will take responsibility for promoting ASC certified Vietnamese tra fish globally in order to help fish breeders earn a premium value for their product.
Accordingly, preparations for the work are planned to be completed in the first half of 2011, including the organization of seminars and training courses for fish farmers and the processors.
It is hoped that this will create a consensus among them in complying with ASC standards.
According to Nguyen Huu Dung, vice chairperson of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the Fisheries General Department and WWF set a goal of attaining relevant international sustainable development standards of 25 percent for Vietnam’s export tra fish volume for the year 2011 and 2012, with 10 percent to be certified by ASC.
The target is set to increase to 75 percent, with 30 percent certified by the ASC by 2014.
From 2015, it is hoped that 100 percent of export tra fish will achieve international standards on sustainable development, with half of them certified by the ASC.
Mr. Dung said Vietnam has exported 650,000 tons of tra fish a year and the volume will increase to about 800,000 tons in the next five years, meaning that the country will have 400,000 tons of tra fish attaining ASC standards.
He said WWF promised that prices of the Vietnamese tra fish will be much higher, if the fish is certified by ASC.
Though WWF said it will take responsibility for seeking financial sources to support Vietnam in the process of attaining ASC certification, it did not mention if Vietnamese farmers need to pay for the ASC certificate.
At the signing ceremony, the Fisheries General Department reported that WWF officially removed Vietnamese tra fish from its ‘Red List on December 17, and advised consumers worldwide to continue buying the fish.
Related article:
Does WWF mean to sell certificate to pangasius farmers?
