A roundtable on aquaculture was held in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on November 4, providing a chance for relevant authorities to share experiences in an effort to sustainably develop the region’s sector.

Jointly organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the Steering Committee for the Southwestern Region, and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the event took place as part of the Mekong Delta Economic Cooperation Forum, which is currently being held in Soc Trang province.

MARD Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam said the Mekong Delta region has a large potential for aquaculture, but faces a number of challenges, including a low investment rate, a lack of coordination between the parties involved, and an increase in the frequency of natural disasters.

To address these difficulties, Nam said all relevant stakeholders need to actively participate in the implementation of comprehensive measures.

Nguyen Van Trong, Deputy Head of the Research Institute for Aquaculture No.2, suggested relevant authorities run public awareness campaigns on the impact of climate change in order to boost the sector’s resilience.

Hua Tran Hoang, an aquaculture farmer in An Bien district in Kien Giang province, said the biggest challenges for local farmers are the lack of technical knowledge and the limited access to disease-resistant breeding stock.

He suggested farmers be trained on farming techniques and provided access to disease-resistant breeds in order to increase productivity.-VNA