Speaking at a conference on August 15 which was attended by shrimp producers and processors from 28 coastal provinces and cities, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said that Vietnam had a large potential for shrimp production. However, scattered farming, shortage of quality raw materials along with the lack of a comprehensive development strategy and value chain were blocking its potential, the minister noted.
Minister Cuong said that it is necessary to identify shrimp as a national strategic product to boost farming, enhance quality and build a globally-recognised Vietnamese shrimp brand. Shrimp has immense consumption markets, he stressed.
Besides, strengthening shrimp farming becomes a good choice for Vietnam’s agricultural production as it could turn the salt intrusion in the Mekong River Delta into an opportunity.
In the long term, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will coordinate with relevant agencies to build up a strategy for shrimp farming and processing towards a world-recognised Vietnamese shrimp brand, Cuong said.
The minister urged local authorities to enhance management towards all shrimp farming stages, from breeding to disease prevention, while shrimp farmers apply new farming techniques and technologies to improve shrimp quality.
Experts at the conference shared that the developing of breeding shrimp becomes critical to boosting shrimp farming, and heavy reliance on imported breeding shrimp existed as a major challenge.
Currently, Vietnam needs around 130 billion breeding shrimp every year, but local breeding could meet only 40% of the demand.
Particularly, farming of white leg shrimp remained heavily reliant on imported breeding shrimp, mainly from the US, Singapore, Thailand and Mexico.
The statistics from the Directorate of Fisheries pointed out that as of June, Vietnam had 1,750 giant tiger prawn breeding farms and another 510 white-leg shrimp breeding farms.
In the first six months of this year, the country's shrimp output reached 191,000 tonnes and Vietnamese shrimp exports achieved 1.4 billion USD.
The Vietnam Seafood Exporters and Processors early this month forecast that Vietnamese shrimp exports would top 3 billion USD this year.
Minister Cuong said that it is necessary to identify shrimp as a national strategic product to boost farming, enhance quality and build a globally-recognised Vietnamese shrimp brand. Shrimp has immense consumption markets, he stressed.
Photo for illustration
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In the long term, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will coordinate with relevant agencies to build up a strategy for shrimp farming and processing towards a world-recognised Vietnamese shrimp brand, Cuong said.
The minister urged local authorities to enhance management towards all shrimp farming stages, from breeding to disease prevention, while shrimp farmers apply new farming techniques and technologies to improve shrimp quality.
Experts at the conference shared that the developing of breeding shrimp becomes critical to boosting shrimp farming, and heavy reliance on imported breeding shrimp existed as a major challenge.
Currently, Vietnam needs around 130 billion breeding shrimp every year, but local breeding could meet only 40% of the demand.
Particularly, farming of white leg shrimp remained heavily reliant on imported breeding shrimp, mainly from the US, Singapore, Thailand and Mexico.
The statistics from the Directorate of Fisheries pointed out that as of June, Vietnam had 1,750 giant tiger prawn breeding farms and another 510 white-leg shrimp breeding farms.
In the first six months of this year, the country's shrimp output reached 191,000 tonnes and Vietnamese shrimp exports achieved 1.4 billion USD.
The Vietnam Seafood Exporters and Processors early this month forecast that Vietnamese shrimp exports would top 3 billion USD this year.
