(VAN) Aquaculture following VietGAP direction not only brings high economic efficiency and creates safe products, but also contributes to minimizing environmental pollution and reducing production costs.
Ha Tinh is a locality with many advantages in terms of natural conditions for aquaculture. The whole province currently has more than 7,000 ha of water surface for aquaculture and a river system exploited for cage fish farming. Along with the application of technical advances in seed, intensive farming techniques, etc., many households in Ha Tinh have boldly applied the aquaculture method following VietGAP direction.
Shrimp raised according to VietGAP have a selling price 5–10% higher than conventionally raised shrimp. Photo: Anh Nguyet.
Reduce costs, increase efficiency
The VietGAP whiteleg shrimp farming model deployed by the National Agricultural Extension Center at Cam Duong Aquaculture Cooperative (Cam Duong commune, Cam Xuyen district, Ha Tinh) has a scale of 5 ha, productivity of 28 tons/ha/crop, shrimp size when harvested of 45 heads/kg, and profit of 550 million VND/ha/crop. This is also one of the few whiteleg shrimp farming models in Ha Tinh that has been certified to meet VietGAP standards.
Mr. Nguyen Van Dong, Director of Cam Duong Aquaculture Cooperative, said: Currently, seed sources are not guaranteed due to climate change, and especially chemicals are overused, so saltwater and brackish water aquaculture faces many difficulties and risks. Since applying the VietGAP whiteleg shrimp farming model, the Cooperative has reduced input costs by 10–15%. At the same time, the use of biological preparations does not affect the health of workers or the farming pond environment. Shrimp products, when sold to the market, are favored by consumers and have a price 5–10% higher than conventionally farmed shrimp.
The first model achieved VietGAP certification on yellowfin pompano in Ha Tinh. Photo: Anh Nguyet.
In 2023, Mr. Nguyen Van Mai’s family in Thien Cam town (Cam Xuyen, Ha Tinh) was selected by the Ha Tinh Agricultural Extension Center to participate in the VietGAP yellowfin pompano farming model with product consumption linkage. Mr. Mai said: “Previously, the family raised whiteleg shrimp semi-intensively, but the level of risk was high, and it did not bring economic efficiency. After the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center surveyed, my family pioneered the implementation. Producing according to VietGAP standards not only ensures the health of producers but also creates quality products and ensures safety for consumers.”
Thanks to good care, after more than 5 months of farming, yellowfin pompano has reached an average weight of 0.57 kg/head and a survival rate of 65%, exceeding the set plan. With a selling price of VND 140,000/kg, after deducting production costs, Mr. Mai earned a profit of over VND 200 million. Thanks to persistently following technical procedures throughout the farming process, Mr. Nguyen Van Mai’s aquaculture facility became the first facility to achieve VietGAP certification on commercial yellowfin pompano in Ha Tinh.
Mr. Le Quoc Thanh, Director of the National Agricultural Extension Center (4th from the right), inspects and evaluates the shrimp farming model meeting VietGAP standards in Ha Tinh. Photo: Anh Nguyet.
Diversify farming objects according to VietGAP direction
After the success of the cage red tilapia farming model in cages according to the VietGAP process at Ngan Truoi lake (Vu Quang district) and in Ky Xuan commune (Ky Anh district), in 2023, Ha Tinh Agricultural Extension Center continued to implement the red tilapia farming model in cages on rivers and reservoirs according to VietGAP direction in Ky Hoa commune (Ky Anh town). The model has three participating households and a scale of 300 m3. As a result, after 8 months of implementation, there was one model achieving VietGAP certification and two farming models following VietGAP direction. Products sold to the market are well received by consumers, and the selling price increases by 10–20% compared to traditional farmed fish products.
Mr. Nguyen Khanh Tuan (owner of a model meeting VietGAP standards) said: Compared to traditional fish farming, fish raised according to the VietGAP process are sold at a price 10–20% higher than other products of the same type. Productivity reaches more than 59 kg/m3, 18% higher than average productivity. Thus, the economic value increases by an average of nearly 23% compared to conventional farming methods. Besides, the farming environment is not polluted because the farming process mainly uses biological preparations, digestive enzymes, and vitamins.
Awarding VietGAP certification to the red tilapia cage farming model in Ky Anh town. Photo: Anh Nguyet.
Mr. Nguyen Manh Tan, Vice Chairman of the Ky Hoa Commune People’s Committee, said: Taking advantage of the natural conditions at the Tri River dam and to improve the quality of aquaculture, the Ky Hoa Commune People’s Committee has coordinated with the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center to direct the construction of three freshwater aquaculture models in the direction of intensive farming, high productivity, ensuring food hygiene and safety, and improving economic efficiency for fish farmers.
Specifically, there are two households raising fish according to VietGAP direction and one household raising fish meeting VietGAP standards. The average output reaches nearly 6 tons of fish/100 m3 of cage; the commercial fish size reaches 0.8 kg/head; and the average profit is VND 102 million/100 m3. Besides, the water environment at the Tri River dam has also been improved positively.
VietGAP aquaculture creates safe and traceable products, thereby facilitating product consumption and improving production value. Photo: Anh Nguyet.
In 2024, with full awareness of the VietGAP aquaculture process’s benefits, in order to improve production efficiency and develop sustainably, many aquaculture facilities in the province applied VietGAP farming and have been certified. Certified facilities generally have a fairly large, concentrated commodity production scale and objects with high economic value. Typical examples include Ha Vang Aquaculture Cooperative (Lien Tien village, Thach Ha commune, Ha Tinh city) with whiteleg shrimp products, a production scale of 1.03 ha, and an output of 90 tons/year; and Shrimp farming facility of Mr. Hoang Kim Tuy’s household (Phuc Trung village, Nam Phuc Thang commune, Cam Xuyen district) with whiteleg shrimp products, a production scale of 2.5 ha, and an output of 60 tons/year.
Thanks to its high quality, VietGAP yellowfin pompano always has high selling prices and favorable consumption. Photo: Anh Nguyet.
According to the Ha Tinh Sub-Department of Fisheries, in 2023-2024, the province had nine aquaculture facilities granted valid VietGAP certification with an area of 21 ha and an output of 457 tons/year, of which mainly is the key farming object (farmed shrimp). These are models suitable in climate change conditions, ensuring food safety, and suitable for urban agriculture associated with production linkage.
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