According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hoa Binh province, the area has 543 large, medium and small irrigation lakes with 5,000 fish cages, an output of over 7,000 tons/year; creating stable jobs for over 1,600 workers.

In particular, on Hoa Binh Lake, there are nearly 20 enterprises, cooperatives, cooperative groups, and farm owners investing in cage fish farming. Aquatic products are abundant and diverse, including: fresh fish, fish fillets, sun-dried fish, smoked fish, and deeply processed products that have been recognized as 3-star and 4-star OCOP standards...

However, currently, most fish cage farming facilities have not been registered and have not been given cage codes, while in reality, the registration of farming areas, coding of ponds, cages, etc. has been implemented for a long time.

The rate of registered establishments is still quite limited, causing obstacles to traceability and not meeting the requirements of import markets.

On August 13, speaking with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Luong Thanh Hai, Head of the Department of Fisheries of Hoa Binh province, said that the cause of this problem is due to the slow propaganda and registration guidance of some local authorities.

At the same time, the number of small-scale farming facilities is still the majority, many facilities have used the Land Use Right Certificate as collateral for banks to borrow capital for production, so they face difficulties in converting the purpose of land conversion; many aquaculture facilities do not have contracts for leasing water surface land...

According to Mr. Hai, granting codes to aquaculture facilities is like granting "birth certificates" to key aquaculture products of localities. From this code, the owner of the aquaculture facility and the origin of the products can be identified.

In the context of increasingly stringent requirements from importing countries to ensure traceability, the issuance of codes for aquaculture areas needs to be accelerated to create momentum for accelerating the export of aquatic products.

Regarding the solution, Mr. Hai informed that it is necessary to promptly handle the problems related to land documents as well as granting water and sea surface for aquaculture to people and businesses. Currently, the unit is coordinating with local authorities to propagate and mobilize people to understand and properly implement this regulation.

According to the Department Head, it is expected that in 2024, efforts will be made to complete the issuance of fish cage codes.

"Every person participating in aquaculture also needs to be aware that registration and issuance of farm codes are necessary to facilitate exports, ensure food safety for aquatic products, thereby affirming the brand of Da River - Hoa Binh aquatic products in the domestic market, aiming for export" - Mr. Hai emphasized.