HCM CITY — The HCM City Fisheries Sub-department has selected four ornamental fish farms that meet conditions to produce ornamental fish under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.

The farms, Đồng Khởi Ornamental Fish Farm and Niềm Đam Mê Discus Farm in Củ Chi District, and AMR Farm and Xanh Tươi Ornamental Fish Farm in Bình Chánh District, produce ornamental fish for sale in domestic and foreign markets.

The Đồng Khởi Ornamental Fish Farm, which covers 4,000 sq.m in Trung Lập Hạ Commune’s Xóm Mới Hamlet specialises in producing neon ornamental fish, tiger barb and rummy-nose Tetra for exports.

The Niềm Đam Mê Discus Farm specialises in producing discus ornamental fish.

The sub-department has provided the farms with quality techniques that meet standards and focus on environmental protection, disease prevention, quality of ornamental fish seed and fish feed.

The city has exported 10.5 million ornamental fish worth US$12.7 million this year, up 14.8 per cent in volume and 10.6 per cent in value against the same period last year, according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The city has exported 60 more fresh water ornamental fish species. Of the figure, more than 40 species have been produced artificially, while the rest are caught from rivers and springs.

Exports of marine ornamental fish, which have high value, account for 1 per cent of the city’s ornamental fish exports.

The city’s ornamental fish is exported to the EU, Asia, America, and South Africa.

Two ornamental fish trading areas are located on Nguyễn Thông Street in District 3 and Lưu Xuân Tín Street in District 5.

Võ Thanh Liêm, owner of the Dã Tượng ornamental fish shop on Lưu Xuân Tín Street, who has been in business for many years, said the sector is developing strongly.

Wholesale traders in other provinces and cities in the country are visiting HCM City to buy ornamental fish.

Discus ornamental fish tops the city’s list of ornamental fish exports, which has been identified as a key product of the city’s agricultural sector.

The city, which is the country’s largest ornamental fish producer, has about 88ha of land devoted to raising ornamental fish in outlying districts, with more than 290 households involved in production.

The Sài Gòn Ornamental Creatures Co-Operative in Củ Chi District has worked closely with 80 local ornamental fish farming households to have a stable quantity of ornamental fish for exports.

The co-operative exports about 1.9 million ornamental fish a month.

Nguyễn Văn Thủy, chairman of the co-operative, said that demand for ornamental fish huge from both domestic and foreign markets.

The hobby of breeding ornamental fish is no longer limited to those with high incomes, as average-income people can now join in the trade, he added. — VNS