Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Shrimp farming on sandy land has broughtprofits to the coastal central provinces over the years. But the unplanned andspontaneous expansion of this model is accompanied by the potential of severenegative impacts on economy and environment.
Shrimp aquaculture on sandy land started in 2000 in some localities at asmall scale.
Thanks to favourable conditions of land and sea water, aquaculture incoastal provinces has increased sharply in recent years both in terms of areaand output.
According to the statistics by the Directorate of Fisheries, the area ofshrimp farming on sandy land has reached more than 3,000ha across 14 centralprovinces, generating some 41,700 tonnes per crop.
The productivity also increased up to six times with an average of 13-15tonnes per ha compared to 2-3 tonnes per ha in 2000-02.
The yield even is higher in high-tech intensive farming areas with 70-100tonnes per ha.
The successful application of advanced science and technology forproduction has driven shrimp farming in the central region to further developand attract farmers eager to earn money.
Many localities such as Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Thua Thien-Hue have taken theinitiative in the technology of breeding and raising shrimps to meet theproduction demand, Cong Luan (Public Opinion) newspaper reported.
Waste and unproductive land is utilised in an efficient way. This modelalso creates jobs and contributes to improving local livelihoods and reducingpoverty.
The average profit is about 500 million VND (21,700 USD) per ha per crop,even 700-900 million VND per ha.
According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in HaTinh province, the shrimp farming on sandy land has been a definite edge in therestructuring of agriculture and rural areas.
In 2011, the province had 40ha of shrimp farming on sand and it reached to69ha in 2014. Productivity continued to increase and reached 12 to 20 tonnesper ha per crop with the average revenue of 1.9 billion VND per ha.
However, after years of development, the “booming” of the shrimp cultureexposed the inadequacies that need to be resolved, the newspaper reported.
Until now, wastewater from the farming ponds has been discharged directlyinto the surrounding environment without being treated or filtered.
High pollution risks therefore threaten adjacent land areas and watersources, leading to an increased risk of shrimp diseases.
Cultivating in untreated water has exposed diseases from one crop toanother, causing higher risks for farmers. Even shrimp died in mass and put thefarmers in debt.
Another warning sign given to this farming model is the negative impactsto the environment.
The cultivation of shrimp on sandy land involves the use of fresh andgroundwater, which in the coastal areas are limited in supply.
A report shows a concentrated shrimp farm with 100ha needs about fivemillion cu.m of water per year.
Over exploitation of underground water to serve shrimp farming would causedepletion of water resources, directly affecting people’s lives andagricultural production, experts warns.
In addition to discharge of wastewater into the sea, many households nowdirectly discharge wastewater, sludge farming on the sandy land near the ponds,causing pollution and salinisation of ground water.
Le Dinh Son, Secretary of Ha Tinh province’s Party Committee, said that toachieve sustainable development, the Government has specific plans for eachregion and inter-region and will create conditions for localities to build upinfrastructure for cultivation.
The agricultural sector has recommended households and businesseswell-manage farming areas and apply advanced farming process.
According to Truong Huu Thong, director of Thong Thuan Ltd Co from BinhThuan province, shrimp farming on sand is growing fast, it would lead to“bubble” development without direction from relevant agencies, causing oversupply.
The Directorate of Fisheries plans to only raise shrimp in areas withsufficient surface water to reduce the use of ground water, which is limited incentral Vietnam.
It will also take into account effects of climate change and applyadvanced technology to save fresh water. The agency will encourage privatesector investment to develop self-contained shrimp ecosystems.
The directorate will formulate a master plan to facilitate shrimp growingas part of the national action plan to develop the industry by 2025 and developinfrastructure for areas of large-scale shrimp production.
Vietnam aims to expand the industry to 7,000ha by 2025, produce some110,000 tonnes per crop, and ensure 70 percent of these areas have infrastructuredeveloped, according to the directorate.-VNS/VNA
VNA
