(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam seafood exports earn annual revenue of US$6 billion, however, irrigation system serving for aquaculture has not been developed. As a result, fish farmers and enterprises suffer from loss caused by diseases. The loss was mainly attributable to lack of investments for irrigation system, Mr. Nguyen Huu Dung, Vice Chairman of Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said.
In the report of MARD, the state budget for agriculture industry in 2013 reached VND6,560 billion including VND4,000 billion for irrigation sector. However, the fund was mainly for agricultural irrigation and natural calamity reduction while the fund for irrigation system serving for aquaculture only accounted for VND243 billion.
The Mekong Delta provinces such as Soc Trang and Ca Mau spend annually large investments of VND 60 billion and VND100 billion, respectively for irrigation sector. However, these investments only focus on upgrading existing irrigation system not for serving aquaculture.
In the past two years, widespread outbreak of diseases on aquatic species, particularly shrimp caused heavy loss to shrimp farmers.
In the late April 2014, MARD issued the project "Restructuring irrigation sector" with an aim to enhance irrigation sector for restructuring the agriculture sector towards sustainable development.
The project focuses on investments in developing irrigation system for intensive aquaculture areas with main farmed species (black tiger shrimp, whiteleg shrimp) in the Mekong Delta and the central coast.