Although Vietnam’s total Tra fish breeding area in 2010 met only 90 percent of the year’s target, reaching 5,400 ha, the total output rose by 4 percent against 2009 to 1.1 million tonnes as the productivity increased to 260 tonnes per ha. The quality of the product also improved.

Unlike previous years, there were no redundancies in materials in 2010 because many localities successfully got processing businesses and animal food businesses involved in Tra fish breeding.

Tran Van Hung, General Director of the Hung Ca Joint Stock Company in Dong Thap said his company was focusing on the development of clean breeding to ensure the quality of the products.

“We have had a lot of orders because consumers now prefer clean products,” he said.

At a recent conference in Can Tho province on sustainable development of Tra fish, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Steering Board for Tra Fish Production and Consumption in the Mekong Delta said the production and consumption of Tra fish have seen significant developments.

However, they said, there are still risks threatening sustainable development of the sector such as the increasing prices of input materials, high inflation and bank interest rates, and the poor alliance in production between breeders and processors.

In addition, slow issuance of technical criteria, barriers set up by some import countries, and the WWF-related scandal also affected Tra fish breeding.

Pham Thi Hoa, Deputy Director of the An Giang provincial Department for Agriculture and Rural Development, said it is high time for Vietnam to build up its own quality criteria for Tra fish products.

It will create more favourable conditions for both businesses and farmers, Hoa said.

As the world’s economy is forecast to continue its complexity in 2011 and technical barriers will continue to be set up with the intervention of consultancy and non-governmental organizations, the MARD is going to make greater efforts to help breeders with investment to increase breeding area to 6,000 to 6,300 ha in 2011. The ministry will also promote communication on the mass media and through diplomatic channels to affirm that Vietnamese Tra fish products meet all food hygiene standards and are sold at reasonable prices.

Vu Van Tam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the seafood sector will continue the implementation of the “price floor” for some key markets, maintain exports to existing markets and expand new market.

The MARD will also continue speeding up the establishment and application of criteria such as VietGAP and Global GAP in breeding and processing, he said.

Tam said the MARD will adjust planning for Tra fish breeding in the Mekong Delta region, design a set of criteria for Tra fish in Vietnam, and propose the Government issue a decree about Tra fish production and consumption.

For the sustainable development of the industry, all related sectors are doing their best to ensure the quality of the products.

The MARD is also preparing a dossier for the establishment of the Vietnam Tra fish Association in the first quarter of 2011, which is considered a positive sign for Tra fish breeders and businesses.