Conference seeks measures for shrimp sector's sustainable development
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien ordered localities, especially those in Mekong Delta, to focus on developing the supply chain and high-quality larvae so as to improve shrimp values and sustainably broaden the sector.
Speaking at a conference held in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu on February 23, Tien stressed the need to complete the infrastructure system in farming areas, advance green production, and apply digital technology into aquafarming.
Farmers raised 10,094 white-leg shrimps and 20,000 giant tiger prawns in 2023 for domestic consumption and export, accounting for 90.1% of the figures in 2022, according to the Directorate of Fisheries.
This year, Vietnam eyes to cultivate shrimps in an area of 737,000 hectares with an expected yield of more than 1 million tonnes, while export revenue is projected at US$4 – 4.3 billion.
Vietnam was in the world’s top 12 shrimp exporters in 2023, with shipments to 100 countries, including five largest markets of the US, Japan, China, the EU, and the Republic of Korea, and the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said that as climate change remains a challenge for the shrimp industry, climate resilient cultivation model is an urgent solution for the industry in the coming time.
Besides, higher investment costs will be a challenge for Vietnam to compete with its rivals such as Ecuador and India. However, VASEP forecasts shrimp export will recover and grow 10-15% this year.
At the conference, leaders from localities and enterprises discussed measures to raise the quality of shrimp larvae, expand environmentally-friendly farms, and build disease-free breeding establishments.
They also proposed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to scale up infrastructure investment to serve the shrimp industry’s development.
