Dong Thap Province: Creating a large-scale specialized production area for pangasius farming

The pangasius industry is one of six industries in the agricultural restructuring program of Dong Thap province and now the province has established large-scale concentrated farming production areas in the districts of Thanh Binh, Tam Nong, Tan Hong, Chau Thanh, and Cao Lanh District.

Dong Thap province has issued identification codes for farming areas with nearly 100% of commercial pangasius farming areas; in which, 60% of pangasius farming area meets international standards.

Pangasius production areas in Dong Thap province have been granted 368 identification codes for commercial pangasius ponds with an area of ​​more than 1,509 ha; production according to the process and standards of VietGAP, GlobalGAP, ASC equivalent to an area of ​​827ha, accounting for over 55% of the farming area;

Pangasius seed production area in Dong Thap province is concentrated in Hong Ngu, Chau Thanh, and Cao Lanh districts with a total area of ​​880ha, 70 hatcheries, 78 establishments producing and trading aquatic breeds and 1,270 pangasius production and rearing establishments.

Every year, facilities produce 25 billion pangasius fry and 1.8 billion pangasius fingerlings/year. The application of science and technology and new techniques in farming also helps to increase the productivity of pangasius from 213 tons/ha in 2014, up to now to 222 tons/ha.

The chain of linkage and cooperation in pangasius production in the province has developed relatively methodically and is closed. The province currently has 2 cooperatives, 1 cooperative group and 1 assembly hall engaged in production and service activities for the pangasius industry and 20 pangasius farming enterprises for export.

Farming households generally have contracts of cooperation or outsourcing for processing enterprises in the province either directly or through cooperatives and cooperative groups.

Many businesses in Dong Thap province are developing pangasius farming in the form of processing farming. Some notable companies that participate in ordering pangasius farming with local farmers are Hoang Long Seafood processing Co., Ltd; I.D.I International Development & Investment Corporation,  Vinhhoan Corp, Hung Ca Co., Ltd …

Participating in this association helps people not to worry about output and consumption of products and is provided with food, and technical support, the interests of the farmers are attached to the interests of the company, so the farmers have a stable source of profit.

The processing of pangasius is expanding day by day. Pangasius processing and export activities have been improved, and the quality control of export products has become more and more stringent. The product structure has changed, increasing the number of value-added products, developing value-added products, and using pangasius by-products for animal feed processing.