Hanoi (VNA) –Vietnam aims to expand shrimp aquaculture on sandy land to 7,000 hectares by2025, produce some 110,000 tonnes per crop, and ensure 70 percent of theseareas have developed infrastructure, according to the Directorate of Fisheriesat the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Shrimp aquacultureon sandy land will help the country use unproductive sandy land along coastalareas to cultivate high-value brackish shrimp, bringing more jobs and economicbenefits to local residents, the directorate said.
The directorateplans to only raise shrimp in areas with sufficient surface water to reduce theuse of ground water, which is limited in central Vietnam. It will also takeinto account effects of climate change and apply advanced technology to savefresh water.
The state agencywill encourage private sector investment in shrimp farming on sandy land todevelop self-contained shrimp ecosystems.
It will formulate amaster plan to facilitate shrimp growing on sandy land in central provinces aspart of the national action plan to develop the shrimp industry in Vietnam by2025 and invest to develop infrastructure for areas of large-scale shrimpproduction.
In addition, it willset tight controls on production input – such as breeds and feeds – environmentmanagement, disease prevention, and food safety, and encourage cooperationbetween shrimp growers, input suppliers and distributors.
In 2016, Vietnam hadmore than 3,700 hectares of shrimp farming on sandy land across 14 centralprovinces, generating some 41,700 tonnes per crop. Binh Thuan had the most area,accounting for 28 percent of the country’s total. It was followed by Ninh Thuan(18 percent), Phu Yen (16 percent) and Thua Thien-Hue (14 percent).
Quang Nam producedthe highest yield of more than 20 tonnes per hectare, followed by Quang Ngaiwith 17 tonnes per hectare.-VNA