Vinh Thuan district in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang plans to expand the shrimp cultivation area to 10,000ha. (Photo: VNA)Kien Giang (VNA) - As profits rise from shrimp-rice rotation models, Vinh Thuan districtin the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang plans to expand the cultivation areato 10,000ha.
Under the highlyprofitable model, farmers use the same field to raise blue-legged prawns andwhite-legged shrimps in the dry season, while rice is cultivated in the rainyseason.
Pham Van Hau, Vice Chairmanof the Vinh Thuan District People’s Committee, said that breeding prawns lastsfor six months and shrimps three months.
With such a schedule,farmers can harvest three crustacean crops and one rice crop a year.
The model provides anaverage profit of about 300 million VND (13,200 USD) per ha per year, he said.
The district plans toexpand the model in Vinh Binh Nam, Vinh Binh Bac and Binh Minh communes, whichare located along the Cai Lon River, and in Tan Thuan commune.
The shrimps bred underthis model are considered “clean” because farmers do not use chemicals. Inaddition, the quality of the field soil improves and provides natural food forthe shrimp.
Also, farmers no longerhave to worry about selling their products as traders come to their fields tobuy the shrimps.
Vo Van Sua, who has 3haof land in Vinh Binh Bac commune, said he earns a profit of more than 900million VND (36,600 USD) a year from shrimps and rice. In the past, his familybred black tiger shrimps and did not always earn a profit.
To enhance efficiency,the district will expand the market for blue-legged prawns as farmers are morewilling to switch to the model when there is a stable outlet.
“Under the district’sagricultural restructuring plan, the district is developing the rotation model,but many farms are still breeding only shrimp,” he said. This could lead topolluted water resources and soil degradation, which could damage farms.
This year, the districtwill register a collective brand for its blue-legged prawns and rice plantedunder the shrimp-rice rotating model, he said.
Shrimps and rice are twokey agricultural products in the Mekong Delta district of Vinh Thuan, where thesoil is affected by aluminum and saltwater intrusion.
The district’sblue-legged prawns are sold domestically and also exported to Cambodia.
Last year, the districtbred about 23,880ha of various kinds of shrimps with a total yield of about12,580 tonnes, up 20 percent against 2016.
Of the figure,blue-legged prawns accounted for 5,551 tonnes, and white-legged shrimps andblack tiger shrimps the rest.-VNA
VNA
