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Flavio Corsin, WWF senior aquaculture advisor, said while Vietnamese catfish products have won the confidence of overseas buyers as seen in the increasing sales in recent times, consumers are asking for products certified according to international norms.
"Importers are looking for sustainable standards that ensure the good quality and hygiene for the products they want," he told the Daily on the sidelines of a meeting in HCMC yesterday.
To help the local catfish sector grow sustainably, the WWF Greater Mekong Vietnam Program yesterday began the two-day meeting in HCMC that brings together some 70 pangasius producers and buyers from throughout the world.
They discussed a process for developing sustainable standards for certifying tra and basa catfish products, and to identify the main environmental and social impacts related to the farming of this catfish - the two key market species in the pangasius family.
The process, called the Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue, will continue through 2008, when participants will meet to develop credible, measurable, and voluntary standards designed to minimize the impacts.