A fisherman carries a tuna on his shoulder at Tam Quan port, Hoai Nhon district, Binh Dinh province (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – Vietnam’s farmed seafoodoutput is likely to reach 4.7 million tonnes with export earnings expected tohit 30-35 billion USD by 2030, said Chairman of the Vietnam SeacultureAssociation (VSA) Nguyen Huu Dung at a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on May 5.
Dung said Vietnam has been one of the world’sleading countries in sea-culture since 2012 and its seafood exports haveincreased in recent years.
However, to reach the said-above figures, thegovernment needs to adopt policies to encourage investment in sea-culture, headded.
Nguyen Ba Son, a representative from theDirectorate of Fisheries, said by the end of 2016, the country had 6,300hectares of ponds and nearly 1.2 million cubic meters of cages to raisesaltwater fish.
The output of saltwater fish in 2016 nearlydoubled that of 2010, reaching 28,300 tonnes. Key fish farming provincesinclude Khanh Hoa, Quang Ninh, Kien Giang, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
Experts advised State management agencies andbusinesses to clearly define consumption markets to avoid massive developmentbefore pouring investment in the field.
Lucas Manomaitis, Technical Director forAquaculture in Southeast Asia of the US Soybean Export Council, said most offish resources in the region, including Vietnam, are being overexploited,resulting in a decline in the supply of sea fish.
Toprepare for the development of the sea fish farming sector, State managementagencies and farmers should study the demand of international customers andimprove product quality, he noted.
The VSA suggested improving policies to attractinvestment and support the sector’s sustainable development, while implementingprogrammes to inspect and rehabilitate the marine ecological environment.-VNA
VNA
