(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's pangasius industry is shifting its focus from increasing production volume to enhancing value-added products in order to meet the increasingly stringent requirements of export markets. In An Giang Province—the country's leading hub for pangasius farming and processing—businesses and farmers are prioritizing product quality, traceability, food safety, and sustainable development rather than expanding output.
According to industry representatives, competitive advantage no longer lies in production scale but in the ability to manage the entire value chain, from broodstock and hatcheries to farming and processing. The adoption of standards such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP, and ASC, together with digital transformation, is helping improve product quality and meet the requirements of major markets, including the United States, the European Union, and China.
In addition to exporting frozen pangasius fillets, many companies are expanding their deep-processing operations to increase product value. Beyond the fillets, by-products such as fish fat, skin, heads, and bones are being utilized to produce fish oil, collagen, gelatin, fishmeal, and other industrial products, contributing to waste reduction and more efficient use of raw materials.
This shift is expected to strengthen the competitiveness of Vietnamese pangasius, expand its presence in international markets, and support the industry's sustainable development as consumer expectations and importers' requirements continue to become more demanding.