Dutch animal nutrition firm De Heus and Vietnamese shrimp producer Minh Phu Seafood have signed a strategic partnership to leverage their respective strengths in feed technology and large-scale farming and processing.
The agreement, signed on 18 December, focuses on integrating De Heus high-tech nutritional solutions with Minh Phu’s expansive farming and processing network. Under the deal, De Heus, which has invested in the Vietnamese seafood industry for several years, will supply advanced aquafeed and technical support across Minh Phu’s farming regions. The two companies will also collaborate on technology transfer and R&D programs to enhance the quality of Vietnamese shrimp, Minh Phu CEO Le Van Quang told SeafoodSource on 22 December.
The partnership comes as the Vietnamese shrimp-farming industry faces mounting pressure from Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP), a persistent parasite that stunts shrimp growth. With no known cure, the two companies are pioneering a biological solution: crop rotation with saline-tolerant tilapia.
"EHP remains a complex challenge for farmers globally," Quang said. "We have found that rotating tilapia in shrimp ponds can trigger EHP spores to hatch; without shrimp hosts to attach to, the parasites die off, effectively sanitizing the ponds for the next shrimp cycle."
De Heus, which recently secured Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification for its Vinh Long 4 aquafeed factory in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, will leverage its global network to help Minh Phu distribute tilapia through international supermarket chains.
Beyond innovative disease management solutions, the two firms, as well as other partners such as local authorities in the Vietnamese province of Ca Mau, are scaling up a 1,500-hectare vannamei farming project utilizing recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) technologies. This environmentally friendly farming model is designed to minimize emissions and waste and is aiming to secure ASC and Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certifications.
The partnership was also inked after Minh Phu posted a notable turnaround in the third quarter of 2025, returning to profit after earlier losses. Although its Q3 revenue fell 13 percent year over year to VND 3.8 trillion (USD 144.3 million, EUR 123 million), its net profit rose to VND 228 billion (USD 8.7 million, EUR 7.4 million), compared with a loss of VND 90.1 billion (USD 3.4 million, EUR 2.9 million) a year earlier.
