Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien addresses the conference in Soc Trang province on March 3. (Photo: VNA)Data from the Vietnam Directorate of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agricultureand Rural Development (MARD), last year, showed the total brackish water shrimpfarming area was 747,000 hectares, with total output of over 1 million tonnes,up 8.5% year on year.
Currently, the countryhas 2,294 hectares of shrimp fry farming area, with last year’s production of159.5 billion shrimp fry.
This year, the countryaims to expand shrimp farming area to 750,000 hectares and an output of morethan 1 million tonnes. The sector expected 4.3 billion USD from shrimp exports,the same as last year’s revenue.
Participants discussedissues related to the quality and food safety management of shrimp products,trade and market promotion activities, production in value chain, thesustainability of the sector, and shrimp fry quarantine.
Truong Dinh Hoe,General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers(VASEP), said that amid difficulties in export markets, more efforts are needed to meet the goal of 4.3 billionUSD in export revenue.
MARD Deputy Minister PhungDuc Tien held that in order to reach the target, localities with shrimp farmsshould connect with each other and with associations and sectors engaging inthe production chain to ensure the smooth operation of the whole chain, whilestrengthening food safety inspection to enhance the quality of the products fordomestic consumption and export.
Besides, it isnecessary to strictly implement regulations in farming conditions, farmingregistration, and quality of animal feed and fry, and improve the weather andenvironment forecast accuracy to avoid risks for farmers, he said.
Tien advisedbusinesses and farmers to build suitable plans and prepare conditions to becomeproactive in production amid extreme weather and environmental conditions such asdrought, saltwater intrusion, and shrimp diseases, as well as a hike and inputmaterial costs. They should connect to each other in production in chain to cutcosts, while applying high production standards such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP andASC, he added./.
VNA
