(vasep.com.vn) At the ceremony on “Celebrating Vietnam Pangasius Sector Achieving Responsible Production Target in 2012”, Hoang Long Seafood Company Limited (Hoang Long Seafood) signed cooperation agreements with two foreign importers to develop consumer markets for ASC-certified pangasius products.
Fees for ASC certificate accounted for 20 percent of fish production cost; so it is necessary to increase fish price by 20 percent to get back money. However, Hoang Long Seafood still sold fish at the current price level in order to ensure long-term benefits, Mr. Chau Minh Dat, General Director of Hoang Long Seafood said.
With its new ASC certificate in late November 2012, Hoang Long Seafood has sent its first cargo of ASC-labeled fish fillet products to European market, including the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Sweden and Norway. The pangasius products were imported by two companies - Seafood Connection and Fiskano - with a volume of 7 – 10 containers per month.
Currently, Dong Thap-based firm is in the process of applying ASC standards to 48 hectares of farming area in Tam Nong district, in which the company has been granted ASC certification for 30 hectares of fish ponds. This is the largest farming area certified by ASC in Vietnam up to late November 2012.
Besides ASC certification, the company was also granted GlobalGAP standards for its pangasius farming areas and hatcheries. It plans to apply GlobalGAP standards on other 70 hectares of fish growing. GlobalGAP certification helped Hoang Long’s pangasius products overcome technical barriers and penetrate into strict markets like the EU. In 2011, the firm signed sole contract to supply frozen pangasius fillets for a supermarket chain in Europe, and then its supermarkets in Australia.
Hoang Long Seafood’s farmed tilapia was certified by GlobalGAP, too. This is one of the key and potential export items in the future. The company plans to apply ASC standards to its tilapia farm with aim to diversifying export products, improving their export value to attract consumers.
“Tilapia is a new species which always attract consumers. Foreign markets are looking for other suppliers of tilapia, beside China. So Vietnam will be a great partner for them,” added Chau Minh Dat.
www.hoanglongseafood.com