GAA and VNPA agreed to the MoU after January meetings in Can Tho and Hanoi.
“We are delighted to formalise our relationship with VNPA through this MoU. We are looking forward to working together with VNPA to advance responsible practices not only in the farming of Pangasius through VietGAP as a stepping stone to BAP certification, but also through the incorporation of responsible practices at the hatchery level and through responsible feed. We are also looking forward to assisting in the development of stronger market ties for BAP-certified Pangasius,” said Carson Roper, international business development manager for GAA’s Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) division.
“VNPA welcomes this MoU as a positive step toward building a more robust Vietnamese Pangasius production system,” said Dr Vo Hung Dung, vice chairman and general secretary of VNPA.
“Equally important, we welcome the collaborative support of GAA to assist in the application of VietGAP and the BAP certification programme. We look forward to build stronger market ties product from VietGAP and BAP-certified Pangasius facilities.”
Roper signed the MoU on behalf of GAA along with Dr Dung (pictured above).
In the MoU, VNPA agreed to help identify and enroll processing plants, farms, feed mills and hatcheries in the BAP third-party certification programme to increase the number of BAP-certified facilities in Viet Nam.
VNPA will also enlist GAA’s assistance and expertise in its efforts of implementing good aquaculture practice standards in Vietnam regarding food safety, environment responsibility, social responsibility and animal welfare.
In return, GAA agreed to help identify market endorsers to further promote responsibly produced Vietnamese farmed Pangasius products to retailers and foodservice operators worldwide. GAA also agreed to offer training and seminars to help Vietnamese producers to be able to apply VietGAP and the BAP standards to improve their aquaculture practices.
