Boosting the brand name

Ninh Thuan has long been known to be a regional center of aquatic species given favorable natural conditions and pond systems. Seeing that this is a fertile land for development, I&V BIO Vietnam Company - a subsidiary of a wholly foreign-owned Belgian corporation, has made the most of its available potential capacity plus more than 20 years of experience in aquaculture in India, Ecuador, Thailand, Indonesia and other countries to build up its brand name. Although it was established in 2018 and put into production in late 2019 in Ninh Thuan, the company has made great achievements in building the most modern production facility in Vietnam today, which can supply 1 ton of fresh Artemia a day, produced entirely by computing controlled technology with rigorous production processes. The company is also proud to be the first to meet market demands for aquaculture, especially shrimp and fish fingerlings. The total investment budget is currently US$800,000. Given high specialization in all stages of production, the company does not need a large workforce (currently the company has only 30 employees) but each employee is highly trained with technical requirements and compliance with the strictest manufacturing processes.

While addressing difficulties in aquatic hatcheries and expanding its market nationwide, the company has focused on smooth delivery of products across central provinces and to northern and southwest markets. Mr. Do Dang Hai, Director of I&V-BIO Vietnam Company, said, as for Ninh Thuan province, this is the largest seed production center in the country and the company will utilize advantages of this potential land in the coming time.

“Artemia is an outstanding product line of I&V-BIO. Artemia is an important and indispensable food source in shrimp/fish hatcheries. However, hatcheries usually have to buy Artemia eggs, keep them in cold storage, incubate them for 24 hours to hatch them into larvae, separate shells and harvest Artemia larvae as food for shrimp and fish larvae. The traditional use of Artemia is still not effective because of storage costs, complicated incubation conditions and manpower; unstable hatching performance; losses in shelling and harvesting; and risks of bringing potential pathogens from Artemia eggs into shrimp/fish larval rearing tanks.

Being aware of those challenges, with its expertise and technology, I&V BIO Vietnam has professionally dealt with those challenges in using Artemia for seed production companies and farms. “Our solution is to supply it directly to producers of live Artemia larvae, ready to hatch, clean of shells and free of pathogens. Now, hatcheries are “freed” from risks, complications and high costs of using Artemia larvae. Although newly introduced to Vietnam, I&V-BIO Vietnam hopes to come up with many useful solutions with knowledge and technology from countries around the world to solve existing problems aquatic seed industry in Vietnam in the future,” he said.

Knowing customers

Although shrimp farming is highly profitable, it is labor-intensive, and the lack of planning and non-compliance with regulations on farming season, stocking density, disease prevention and treatment and wastewater treatment has seriously polluted the aquaculture environment. Accordingly, using pesticides and antibiotics to treat diseases not only adversely affects the production environment but also affects the surrounding living environment. In addition, farming households and aquaculture facilities improperly treat wastewater, both posing a risk of spreading disease to other households and directly polluting groundwater and water surface, the living environment for local people.

To further exploit and promote aquacultural strengths, in 2020 - 2025, Ninh Thuan province expected to achieve an average annual growth of 2-3% in seafood production, accounting for 51-52% of the agricultural sector. The province has introduced open business support policies to woo foreign investment capital but existing shortcomings and difficulties are discouraging investors, for example administrative procedures, untrained human resources and unstable infrastructure. Therefore, to bring the marine economy into full play and support enthusiastic businesses like I&V-BIO to confidently move forward, provincial leaders need to make more decisive and bold decisions in support of investors in the province.

Built from quality, prestige, experience and innovations, I&V-BIO is always confident with its big goals. The company understands customers’ needs and requirements, allowing it to create new and better products. The company is committed to always listening, ready to create more user-friendly products, and gradually become a useful supplier for businesses and farmers.