According to the Department of Aquaculture (DoA), MARD, in 2009, the aquaculture area in Southern provinces (from Da Nang to Ca Mau) reached 926,770ha with the total production of 2,123,160MT, accounting for 79 percent of the country’s total area and 80 percent of the total aquaculture output.
The key products included black tiger shrimp with a farming area of 653,374ha and an output of 307,713MT; whiteleg shrimp (14,383ha and 71,008MT); mollusks (20,885ha and 67,552MT); Pangasius (6,788ha with 998,255MT) and freshwater giant prawn (11,713ha with 9,298MT).
On December 25, 2009, in Ho Chi Minh City, DoA held a seminar to discuss solutions to develop sustainable aquaculture in these provinces.
The aquaculture development in Southern provinces still encounters many difficulties and challenges regarding infrastructure investment; environment warning and disease control; market forecast; farmer-processor cooperation; management of seed, feed, veterinary, hygiene and food safety, etc. (VietFishNews)