Vietnam and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recognising both sides'' commitment to ensuring that tra (pangasius) fish is globally recognised as a sustainable aquaculture product.
The signing came two days after the WWF's global seafood programme director Mark Powell agreed to remove Vietnam's tra from the red list in its consumer guidance manual.
Under the MOU, both sides are committed to an initial five years of co-operation.
The two groups will help enterprises and tra farmers understand the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) labels which certify that seafood farms meet global standards for responsible aquaculture.
The global standards for pangasius aquaculture were finalised in August 2010. The ASC, a non-profit organisation founded in 2009 by the WWF and the Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative, is expected to start labelling products that qualify from mid-2011.
As part of the MoU, WWF will be responsible for developing a global market for Vietnam's ASC-certified tra, which can be sold at higher prices.
The organisation will also help Vietnamese pangasius products obtain ASC labelling.
The co-operation with the WWF would help Vietnam remove barriers preventing its tra from entering the world market, said vice chairman of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (Vasep) Nguyen Huu Dung.
"The country's tra industry will have to adopt sustainable production processes and meet the higher requirements from the international market," he said.
In the next two years, Vietnam is set to have 20% of its exported tra meet an international standard on sustainable pangasius aquaculture, including 10% with ASC labels, said Dung.
By 2015, three-quarters of the country's exported pangasius would meet international standards, and half would carry ASC labels, he said.
[Source: VNS]
