BioMar’s joint venture with Tongwei in Wuxi, China has received the first Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP) certification in China with trout and turbot as declared species. The certification comes shortly after the production facilities' inauguration in May 2020. The product portfolio includes feeds for high-end aquaculture species both in freshwater and seawater, as well as locally popular species like largemouth bass and large yellow croaker.
The Wuxi plant is a greenfield project for the joint venture between BioMar and Tongwei. It is a modern plant with state-of-the-art design and equipment. The commissioning was relatively short and smooth and now the BAP certification has been quickly achieved as of November 2020.
The BAP certification, managed by Global Aquaculture Alliance, is a comprehensive, proven, and trusted international standard that covers the entire aquaculture production chain. BAP standardizes and guides feed production based on four pillars: food safety, environmental responsibility, social accountability and traceability.
“Global Aquaculture Alliance is doing a great job in China to work with value chain partners to promote sustainable and healthy aquaculture to consumers, which is very aligned with our commitment to the Chinese aquaculture industry. That is why we decided, even before the completion of our feed plant project, to go for BAP certification,” explained Alan Xiaoqing Qian, general manager at BioMar Tongwei.
The feed portfolio includes a large array of species such as trout, sturgeon and turbot, which BioMar has been serving in other continents for several decades. There will also be a focus on locally popular species like largemouth bass and large yellow croaker, which have traditionally relied heavily on the feeding practice of trash fish.
“We believe in contributing to transforming the local farming practices for these two species by contributing with BioMar Global R&D knowledge, combined with European know-how, from the transformation of the aquaculture industry from feeding trash fish to compound feed. This is in line with the Chinese government initiative to improve environmental standards for aquaculture,” said Alan Xiaoqing Qian.
This milestone marks another step in BioMar Group’s strategic positioning in the Chinese market. “We believe we have established a good business in China through a combination of local production and imported products. We are serving traditional customers as well as customers striving to bring new value propositions to retailers and end consumers. The Wuxi factory will allow new possibilities for customers with advanced product requirements through all production life stages,” said Carlos Diaz, CEO BioMar Group.
