Bac Lieu province is now home to 89,804ha for shrimp farming, of which around 10,000ha of intensive and semi-intensive farming.
According to the local farming schedule, the shrimp farming crop in Bac Lieu starts in March annually. The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) has advised shrimp farmers to observe the farming schedule.
As a matter of fact, most of seafood processing plants in Bac Lieu face a shortage of shrimp material after the Lunar New Year, and have to operate below designed capacity. For example, Gia Rai-based Gia Rai Seafood Processing and Exporting Company sometimes operates at 30 percent of its designed capacity.
According to VASEP, the most effective solution to the shortage of shrimp is to temporarily import materials for re-processing and re-export. By doing this, seafood processing plants will have enough input materials while waiting for the shrimp harvest season.
Mr. Ta Minh Phu, Deputy Director of Bac Lieu DARD, however, concerned that importing shrimp will have an adverse impact on the livelihood of local shrimp farmers.