Harvesting white-legged shrimp in Kien Giang province’s An Minh district. (Photo: VNA) KienGiang (VNS/VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang has expandedits most efficient rice and aquatic species farming models in the last twoyears.
Mai Anh Nhin, Vice Chairmanof the provincial People’s Committee, said many farmers have switched fromgrowing rice, in case of low yields, to breeding aquatic species.
They have alsoexpanded the model of rotating between rice in the rainy season and shrimp inthe dry season on the same fields to enhance their incomes, he said.
The model is particularlysuitable for coastal areas since it helps adapt to climate change and risingsea levels.
The province has92,000ha of rice – shrimp fields, the highest in the delta.
Farmers adopting themodel harvest around four tonnes of paddy and 250 kilogrammes of black tigershrimp per hectare per year.
The province hasadopted several efficient shrimp farming models like extensive, intensive,semi-intensive, and two-stage industrial models.
The model of breedingwhite-legged shrimp in two stages to Vietnamese good agricultural practice(VietGAP) standards adopted in An Minh district for the last two years providesfarmers with high incomes and protects the environment.
Juvenile shrimp arefirst bred in a small pond for a few weeks before being transferred to the mainpond at a rate of up to 450 per square metre.
Le Van Khanh, head ofAn Minh district’s Division of Agriculture and Rural Development, said thesuccess rate of the two-stage shrimp farming model is more than 90 percent andfarmers can breed two or three crops a year.
Farmers can earn 150-200million VND (6,450-8,600 USD) per 500-1,200sq.m pond per crop, he said.
The province, thecountry’s largest rice producer, has increased the number of rice crops in ayear from two to three in areas like Tan Hiep, Giong Rieng and Hon Datdistricts where there are flood-prevention embankments.
In the coastal areasof U Minh Thuong and the Long Xuyen Quadrangle, farmers have developed the rice– shrimp model to earn high incomes.
In Giang Thanh, Hoa Dat,Vinh Thuan and Giong Rieng districts, where farmers grew only rice in thepast, they now grow one rice and one other crop annually.
After growing thewinter – spring rice crop, they grow vegetables, water melon or honeydewmelon.
Pham Hung Em, whogrows one rice crop and one vegetable crop in Vinh Thuan’s Vinh Binh Bac commune,said the income from vegetables is more than 200 million VND per hectare peryear.
The province hasresearched to develop high-quality rice strains and aquatic breeds.
It has created ricevarieties like GKG1 and GKG9 that have a short maturity period, are resistantto disease and saltwater, and have high yield and quality.
Farmers in theprovince grow more high-quality rice varieties, with the rate increasing from71 percent in 2016 to 75 percent last year.
Last year, theprovince had 75,000ha of large-scale rice fields which involved more than 20companies and farmers having tie-ups to ensure each other production andoutlets.
The large-scale ricefields apply the “1 must and 5 reductions” method, which requires farmers touse certified seeds and reduce seeding, plant protection chemicals, nitrogenfertilisers, irrigation, and post-harvest losses. Participating farmerscan earn profits of 40 percent.
The province hasinvested in irrigation systems, including building more sluices to keep outsaltwater, to benefit rice and shrimp farming.
It dredged thousands ofkilometres of irrigation canals and ditches, upgraded irrigation works in ricefarming areas and established more than 1,250 pumping stations in the past twoyears.-VNS/VNA
VNA
