Dong Thap (VNS/VNA) - Dong Thap province, the Mekong Delta’slargest tra fish producer, has more than 2,200ha of aquaculture farms breedingthe fish and they have produced about 438,000 tonnes so far this year,equivalent to almost the full-year target.

More than 2,000ha of farms breed for export.

Nguyen Van Cong, director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, said the province is developing concentrated large-scale tra fishfarming areas. 

It is also establishing co-operatives and co-operative teams for tra farmers toensure they maintain high quality, he said.

It is also fostering cooperation between farmers and processors in all stagesfrom producing fry for breeding, raising the fish and processing them forexports.

About 700ha of farms have received quality certification like VietGAP,GlobalGAP, Aquaculture Stewardship Council and Best Aquaculture Practices.

The province has issued identification numbers to ponds belonging to 349 trabreeders with a total of 1,500ha to ensure traceability for exports.

The province targets production of 455,000 tonnes this year, according to thedepartment.

The province will produce 700 million high-quality tra fish fingerlings a yearfrom now to 2020, meeting 50 percent of local demand, its People’s Committeesaid.

The number will increase to 1.5 billion in 2021-25, meeting 100 percent of thedemand.  

These targets are part of the province’s plan to produce tra fry under athree-tier cooperation project approved by the Ministry of Agriculture andRural Development last March.

The first tier comprises research institutes and universities that use advancedtechniques in choosing breeding pairs, innovate breeding techniques andtransfer them to the second tier.

The second tier comprises Government-owned and private tra fry productioncentres, while the third is made up of establishments that raise the fish untilthey reach the fingerling stage. 

In 2018-20, the province will select four to five entities from the second tierto produce quality fry.

This will also help trace the origin of tra fry and provide high-quality fryfor commercial production.

The province plans to establish four concentrated juvenile tra production areason a total area of 400ha in Hong Ngu, Chau Thanh and Cao Lanh districts, and HongNgu town.

It will invest in infrastructure and use advanced techniques to producehigh-quality fry on an industrial scale.

The plan is expected to cost around 146 billion VND (6.3 million USD), with thefunds coming from the central and local governments, loans and investments byorganisations and breeders.

The province has 68 establishments that produce tra fry and 1,116 others thatraise the newborns until they reach the fingerling stage.

The province produces some 1.3 billion tra fry and 1.2 billion fingerlings ayear, which it supplies to local breeders and those around the delta. – VNS/VNA