vasep.com.vn) The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho is carrying out several projects that comply with the Ethnical Aquaculture Food Index (EAFI) standards set by Vietnam, Thailand, China and Bangladesh.
The index seeks to ensure high-quality products and sustainable livelihood for farmers, social welfare, animal health, environment and climate change adaptation activities.
The projects will pay special attention to hi-tech applications, technology transfer in intensive aquaculture, international cooperation, human resources training and food safety management. The locality focuses on building training courses on applying GAP, SGF 1000 CM, HACCP, ISO standards to introduce to farmers, Pham Van Quynh, director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said.
To realize the project, from now to 2020, Can Tho should use source of land and water surface reasonably, mobilize stakeholders to join hands in aquaculture, improve infrastructures for aquaculture and developing agriculture sector, improve irrigation systems for planting rice, vegetables, fruit trees and fish farming.
Besides, Can Tho will build fish hatcheries and farming areas of pangasius and giant freshwater prawn in Thot Not, Vinh Thanh, Co Do, Phong Dien, O Mon districts and expand its aquaculture area to 26,000 hectares by 2020. The locality also build further tens of shrimp, finfish and aquatic first grade hatcheries which will supply 2.3 billion of seeds including 240 million of giant freshwater prawn seeds annually.
Until 2016, fish processing capacity by the locality will be raised to 140,000 MT per year. Between 2016 and 2020, the figure will amount to 300,000 MT per year. By 2020, seafood export revenue by the locality is expected to hit more than US$7 billion.
Currently, Can Tho is establishing the first grade center for aquatic seed with the area of 214.7 hectares in Thanh My commune, Vinh Thanh district. Annually, the center projects to supply 2 billion of seeds including pangasius, climbing perch, marble goby, tilapia, hybrid catfish, giant freshwater prawn to farmers in the locality and the Mekong Delta.
The center will research and preserve rare and precious aquatic genes of the Mekong Delta and improve broodstock's quality, apply modern science in heredity, seed selecting and seed multiplication.
Can Tho's fish production for this year is projected at 180,000 MT on the superficies of 13,500 hectares.
Through May 2014, the city's fish production topped 55,000 MT, dominated by pangasius (44,000 MT) on the farming area of 6,000 hectares.
It has so far exported 41,000 MT of processed seafood, worth nearly US$170 million.