Bac Lieu implementing sustainable measures in shrimp farming

Bac Lieu, a southern coastal province, has suitable natural conditions and potentials to develop aquaculture. By late 2013, aquaculture area owned by the province reached 127,000 hectares, in which 16,000 hectares were used for fish farming under intensive and semi-intensive model. In 2014, the province targets to reach aquaculture area of 128,396 hectares and fish production of 171,700 MT, including 95,700 MT of shrimp and 76,000 MT of finfish and other aquatic species.

However, in recent years, local shrimp farmers have faced a lot of challenges such as low quality of shrimp seed, rocketing cost for veterinary drugs, unstable shrimp demand from importing markets. Besides, inadequate infrastructure (water irrigation and power) for shrimp production, lack of capital and advanced technologies for shrimp farming hamper farmers from fast developing their farming activities. Moreover, farmers do not sign supply contracts with processors to ensure that all their shrimp production will be bought by processors. Shrimp farming under extensive and renovated extensive model does not bring high productivity.

To gain the province’s target in 2014 and develop sustainable shrimp farming, farmers are required to strictly comply with the Decision 456/QĐ-BNN-NTTS of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on producing seed and farming whiteleg shrimp. Thanks to short farming period and high productivity, farmers are expanding whiteleg shrimp. Thus, local authorities need to plan farming area of whiteleg shrimp as well as invest more in infrastructure for shrimp farming. Local leaders should direct farmers to rear shrimp under cooperatives or groups so that they can support each other in their production chain.

In addition, relevant authorities are encouraging local farmers to sign supply contract with processors. Accordingly, processors pay input costs for farming and ensure to buy all shrimp produced by farmers.  Under the model, processors will hold initiative in raw shrimp supply for processing and build brand name for Bac Lieu’s shrimp. Linking with processors helps farmers save investment costs for their production. And competent authorities can control farmers’ farming activities and diseases on shrimp closely and comprehensively.

Furthermore, in coming time, provincial leaders need to strengthen controlling and periodically inspecting seed producing facilities, trading facilities of aquatic veterinary drugs to prevent low-quality products.

Equally important, farmers should comply with crop schedule and authorities’ directions as well as stock high-quality seed to develop shrimp farming sustainably.

Quarantine of over 928 million of post larvae

To ensure the quality of shrimp seed before being stocked, local authorities in the province quarantined 928.15 million of post larvae, including 281.99 million of post larvae produced in the province and 646.16 million ones bought from outside province. After inspecting, authorities granted 570 quarantine certificates for 334 batches of shrimp seed free with diseases.