Vietnam, Norway bolster marine aquaculture cooperation
A webinar on promoting the development of industrial-scale marine aquaculture in Vietnam was jointly held on May 21 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Embassy of Norway in Vietnam, Innovation Norway, and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).
In his address, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said that Vietnam’s aquaculture development strategy to 2030 and a vision to 2045 aims to turn marine aquaculture into a sector yielding a large volume of products for export and domestic consumption and also encourage industrial fisheries in open waters.
Vietnam’s marine aquaculture, however, faces challenges in terms of infrastructure, science and technology, feed, disease, and a lack of incentives for stakeholders, among others, he noted.
For her part, Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Grete Lochen spoke highly of the bilateral cooperation in aquaculture over the recent past, adding that Norway has experience in the sustainable development of industrial-scale aquaculture, particularly salmon farming.
Vietnam holds huge potential and Norwegian businesses stand ready to assist the country in the field, she added.
Vietnam’s marine aquaculture areas have posted average annual growth of 23.3 percent over the last decade, rising from just 38,800 ha in 2010 to 70,000 ha last year, yielding about 610,000 tonnes.
To build an advanced and sustainable open ocean aquaculture sub-sector applying modern technologies and management, Vietnam needs to develop it in line with the renewal of production and the building of seamless value chains, in which marine aquaculture businesses will play a key role.
Participants shared information and experience on important factors to ensure the success of marine aquaculture, including planning and policies in State management, human resources training, and green and smart technologies.
A Letter of Intent on promoting and developing Vietnam-Norway cooperation in marine aquaculture was also signed during the webinar.
The two sides are to create optimal conditions for and help relevant agencies continue working together in endeavours serving marine aquaculture development, such as support in law enforcement and technological application, research, trade promotions, private sector investment, and more.
