Farmers harvest white-legged shrimp bred under the two-stage industrial farming model in Kien Giang province’s An Minh district.(Photo: VNA)Kien Giang (VNA) - AnMinh district in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang is expanding atwo-stage industrial farming model to breed white-legged shrimp which offershigh incomes to farmers and protects the environment.
It involves breeding the shrimp are inround-shaped ponds covered with anti-sunshine nets and plastic sheets on theirbeds in a two - stage model.
In the first, shrimp fry are bred in a nurseryfor a period of 25-30 days, and in the second, they are transferred to the mainpond at a density of up to 450 creatures per square metre. They are raised based on Vietnamese good agriculturalpractice (VietGAP) standards.
Le Van Khanh, head of the An Minh District Divisionof Agriculture and Rural Development, said the model has been developed in thedistrict for two years, and it offers a new advanced farming model to adapt toclimate change.
“[It] is safer and more effective andsustainable compared to industrial farming in soil ponds.”
There are 15 households in the district farmingwhite-legged shrimp using the model, according to the bureau.
They are instructed by agricultural officials toregularly replace the water in the ponds and check water quality and colour toensure the sustainable growth of the animals and protect the environmental.
The households are also taught how to equiptheir ponds, treat water and waste and select shrimp fry and food for them. The crustaceans bred under the model have asurvival rate of 90 percent and a yield of 50 tonnes per hectare per year.
Farmers can breed three to four crops a yearusing the model. Each crop lasts 60-70 days.
Nguyen Van Suoi, a farmer in the district’s VanKhanh Dong commune, said he breeds shrimp in five 500sq.m ponds and earns 70million VND (3,000 USD) from each per crop. The model offers higher incomes than extensivefarming or rotating between shrimp and rice in the same field, he said.
With its advantages like being on the coast, AnMinh has excellent conditions for aquaculture, including shrimp farming. But most shrimp farming here is done using theshrimp–rice model, and yields are not high.
Khanh said the district plans to expand theindustrial and semi-industrial shrimp farming models to more than 100ha by nextyear, focusing on the two-stage industrial farming model. But it requires large sums of investment whilefarmers lack the experience to implement the model, he said.
The cost of setting up a 500sq.m pond is 170-180million VND (7,310-7,740 USD).
To develop the model, the bureau would offertraining to more famers and help them get loans by petitioning the province anddistrict, Khanh added.-VNA
VNA
