(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ca Mau Province has affirmed its position as the "shrimp kingdom" of Vietnam, with the largest area for ecological shrimp farming in the country.
As a region with highly acidic soil in Ca Mau Province, Thoi Binh District has, in recent years, boldly shifted its farming structure. This includes organic intercropping models such as rice-shrimp farming, with one rice crop and one shrimp crop per year. These practices both improve the soil for rice harvests and yield high productivity for shrimp.
The rice-shrimp farming area in Thoi Binh, Ca Mau, has recently been awarded the BAP (Best Aquaculture Practices) certification by BUREAU VERITAS in Vietnam, under the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA).
According to a representative of Minh Phu Social Enterprise, a partner in the project, with the BAP certification, production households within the linked chain will have their shrimp (both tiger prawns and giant freshwater prawns) purchased at higher prices than the market, without worrying about market access.
Conversely, with certified raw materials, buyers are assured of a clean, sustainable shrimp supply with clear traceability according to global standards.
Thoi Binh is considered a locality with great potential for developing rice-shrimp farming models, particularly the intercropping of rice with giant freshwater prawns and rice with tiger prawns.
Therefore, the greatest benefit of BAP certification is addressing the issue of unsustainable shrimp farming among small-scale farmers, thereby minimizing negative environmental impacts, ensuring social benefits, and contributing to changes in production habits and mindsets among farmers and businesses. At the same time, it aims toward sustainable development in terms of the environment, society, social welfare, and food safety.