Marine aquaculture - a focus of fisheries development in the next ten years (11-12-2020)
That was an opinion agreed by many delegates at a conference on building a Viet Nam Fisheries Development Strategy to 2030, vision 2045, which was held in October 8, 2020, in Hanoi, under the chair of Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien.
According to the Draft of Vietnam Fisheries Development Strategy to 2030, Vision 2045 presented by the Institute of Fisheries Economics and Planning, for last ten years of implementing the Fisheries Development Strategy to 2020, the fisheries sector has achieved remarkable results, contributed significantly to Vietnam's economic development. In 2019, Vietnam’s fisheries accounted for 6.2% of the total Asian fisheries production, 4.4% of total production and 5.5% of seafood export value in the world. In terms of export turnover value, Vietnam ranked third in the world. Vietnam’s fisheries accounted about 3.4% of the national GDP and 24.4% of GDP of the whole agricultural sector. Fisheries sector has created jobs for about 3.9 million labourers.
The Draft of the Strategy to the year 2030 sets out the overall goal of development of fisheries sector into a massive commodity production, which will be capable of competition and deeply integrates into international fisheries in the direction of responsibility and sustainability. Material and spiritual life of the fishing community and people working in fisheries sector must be improved. By the year 2030, the fisheries sector will contribute 28 - 30% of GDP in a structure of the agricultural sector. The total fisheries production reaches 10 million tons, of which, capture fisheries production accounts 25 - 30% and aquaculture production reaches about 70 - 75% of the total production. The sector will create about 3.5 million jobs for 100% of production and business establishments must ensure food safety and hygiene and meet requirements of environmental protection regulations.
Attending the conference, many comments and suggestions were made by delegates, notably a view on promotion of marine aquaculture to reduce the pressure of fishing on aquatic resources. In term of this point of view, Chairman of the Vietnam Seaculture Association (VSA), Mr. Nguyen Huu Dung said that a focus for fisheries development in the next ten years should be a marine culture sub-sector. This is an area of fisheries sector which has much potential in the coming time. He suggested marine culture needs to combine with other marine economic sectors such as oil and gas, tourism, wind power and ship-building in order to take advantage of capabilities, techniques and technologies of these industries for developing marine culture. Apart from pangasius, black tiger shrimp and white shrimp, which target species for marine culture were also brought forward to discuss at the conference.
Concluding the conference, Vice Minister Phung Duc Tien affirmed that marine culture should be paid much attention to in the future. It is necessary to prepare sufficiently for development of marine culture, including investment and infrastructure. He also mentioned an upcoming national conference on marine culture, in which a specific project of marine aquaculture shall be discussed in detail. Moreover, he emphasized that the Strategy will be an important direction for development of the fisheries sector in the future, so that it is necessary to be drafted more carefully with an another way of approaches to achieve the expected goals.
Nam Anh