In 2015, USSEC introduced the In Pond Raceway System (IPRS) to Vietnam’s aquaculture industry in the Mekong Delta provinces. Proconco was the first feed company that worked as a cooperator to U.S. Soy. In 2019, Proconco planned a demonstration with a floating raceway for pangasius fingerling production. This demonstration will be used as a training tool to their fish farm customers.
IPRS became a necessary tool for pangasius farmers to cope with challenges. USSEC’s pangasius IPRS concept provided a solution to the pangasius industry for sustainable development, particularly giving pangasius feed millers a chance to evaluate U.S. soy products in better quality of feed. It is critical to note that in pangasius feed, 60 percent of the protein requirements come from soy products and pangasius feed represented about 45 percent of Vietnam’s total aquafeed production of 3 million MT in 2015.
Because IPRS is a technology that promotes sustainability, this is expected to create a link to the U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol (SSAP), and so USSEC strives to help farmers utilize IPRS correctly. IPRS has become well known in Northern Vietnam with its Vietnamese term “Sông trong ao” (River in pond).