Can Tho (VNA) - Vietnam aims to develop its fisheries sector into a large commodity productionindustry with competitive capacity and responsible and sustainable integration inline with international institutions, contributing to improving incomes forindustry workers.
According to the Vietnam fisheries development strategy to 2030 and vision to 2045, the aquaculture economy is to account for 30 percent of GDPin agro-forestry-fisheries.
The total output of domestically produced aquatic products is to reach 10 milliontonnes, while export value is to hit 18-20 billion USD.
The strategy also aims to generate over 3.5 million jobs.
At a conference held in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on October 26, the Ministryof Agriculture and Rural Development collected opinions from participants on the4th draft on the strategy.
Delegates also reviewed the implementation of the national target programme on sustainable aquaculture development in 2016-2020.
According to the Directorate of Fisheries, over 14.47 trillion VND (over 619.6million USD) was allocated to 148 projects in the 2016-2020 period, including 21fishing ports, 45 anchorage areas, 65 concentrated cultivation areas, and 15 breedingproduction centres.
The sector’s production value grew by an average of 6 percent annually in the 2016-2020period. Total fisheries output in 2019 reached 8.15 million tonnes.
Meanwhile, export turnover in 2019 hit 8.6 billion USD and is expected to reach10 billion USD this year.
The directorate, however, said investment allocation has met just 33 percent ofneeds, while post-investment management has remained ineffective.
According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien,the sector still boasts great potential for development, so in the coming time itis necessary to cut exploitation output, strengthen conservation, and promote marinefarming towards sustainable fisheries development and the removal of theEuropean Commission (EC)’s “yellow card”over illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing./.
VNA