A group of U.S soybean grower leaders organized by the Iowa Soybean Association traveled to Pingwang, Jiangsu Province, China on July 22 to visit the Intensive Pond Aquaculture (IPA) demonstration, a project co-sponsored by the Iowa Soybean Association.

IPA technology was first introduced to China by USSEC in 2012 during technical seminars.  The Chinese aquaculture industry showed great interest because of IPA’s potential to substantially increase yield in the face of escalating production costs for many Chinese fish farmers.  Pingwang Fish Farm was chosen from many applicants to cooperate with USSEC as a demonstration base in 2013.  On this trip, grower leaders inspected the remodeled IPA pond, participated in fish feeding with USSEC-formulated extruded soy-based floating pellets and witnessed the newly invested internet-based farm operation system.
IPA technology, developed in the U.S, is intended for areas where environmental pressure is heavy and the production cost is high.  To accomplish this project, the cooperator should reconstruct existing ponds by adding the specially-designed water-push (White-Water) system to create a constant water current in the pond to go through the production cells; theoretically, it is capable of increasing yields by 300% in China to 3,500 kilograms (kg) per mu (21,000 kg per acre).  Moreover, the technology requires no water exchange during the entire production season and can produce different species or one species of different sizes to help ease producers’ cash flow pressure.  From the onset, the technology has drawn a lot of attention and has received many industry visitors including government officials, extension specialists and fish farm managers from all over the country.  USSEC is confident that the success of the first feeding trial will lead to the rapid adoption and extension of the technology, creating a greater demand for U.S. soy.
In addition to the IPA farm tour, the U.S. team also visited Shanghai Lutang Fisheries Science & Technology Development Co., Ltd in Songjiang in Shanghai and Shanghai Yihao Aquaculture Co., Ltd.  Both companies intend to use IPA technology after the completion of the ongoing production trial in Pingwang.
Paul Burke, USSEC North Asia Regional Director; Xiaoping Zhang, USSEC China Country Director; Dr. Michael Cremer, USSEC Aquaculture Utilization Director; Colby Sutter, USSEC Aquaculture Marketing Manager; and USSEC China aqua staff escorted the team on the field visits.