Attending the meeting were leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the State Bank of Vietnam, the People's Committee of Soc Trang province and some provinces in the Mekong Delta, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Fisheries Sub-Departments of 28 coastal provinces and cities, Institutes, research schools in the field of aquaculture, Associations, brackish water shrimp hatchery enterprises, local people together with press reporters to report on the Conference.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Phung Duc Tien and Mr. Vuong Quoc Nam - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Soc Trang province chaired the Conference.
According to the report of the Directorate of Fisheries, in the first months of 2020, the implementation of brackish water shrimp production faces many difficulties due to the Covid-19 epidemic and saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta region. These issues affect production of brackish water shrimp, especially in the extensive black tiger shrimp farming area. By the last months of 2020, the production of brackish water shrimp has recovered when the Covid-19 epidemic is under control, the export of brackish water shrimp is restored, helping the good growth of brackish water shrimp production chain. In particular, when the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the European Union (EVFTA) comes into effect, it has opened up opportunities to export seafood products in general and brackish water shrimp in particular to promote exports. The output of farmed shrimp reached over 900 thousand tons. In which, tiger shrimp reached 267.7 thousand tons, up 1%; white-leg shrimp 632.3 thousand tons, up 8.5%. in which shrimp exports are 3.9 billion USD, accounting for a large proportion in the export industry.
The Mekong Delta region is the key shrimp farming region of the country. By 2020, the area will reach approximately 681 thousand hectares (accounting for 92% of the country's brackish water shrimp farming area), of which tiger shrimp is over 597 thousand hectares (accounting for 95%); over 83.3 thousand white-leg shrimp (accounting for 74.4%); production of 783 thousand tons (accounting for 86.9% of the national production of brackish water shrimp), of which tiger shrimp is 271,291 tons / 287,434 tons (accounting for 94.3%); white-leg shrimp 511,379 tons / 612,566 tons (accounting for 83.4%).
Speaking at the conference, Deputy Minister – Mr. Phung Duc Tien said that one of the first important links to the success for the shrimp industry is the seed. In agricultural production of more than 10 years ago, it was said that the seed is one most important factors for success. In particular, for brackish water shrimp farming, if only good seed is selected, the shrimp crop is considered to be 50% successful.
By 2020, the whole country will have 2,224 hatcheries producing shrimp seeds, producing 130 billion seed shrimps (of which, giant tiger shrimp: 32 billion; white-leg shrimp: 98 billion) equal to 100% of the plan. The key shrimp seed production area of our country is the South Central region provinces including Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan. The establishments in this area provide about 56% of the number of brackish shrimp seeds for stocking needs every year. In the whole country, the rest is produced in the Mekong Delta provinces such as Bac Lieu, Ca Mau and Northern provinces such as Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Ninh provinces.
In recent years, there has been a shift in shrimp seed production to the Mekong Delta provinces of Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Kien Giang, and Soc Trang. However, most of the factories still produce in the South Central provinces, transporting Nauplius or small Postlava for nursing into postlarvae to supply the farming needs of people in the area to reduce production costs, preferring with the environment, the health of shrimp seed is better.
Although, encouraging results have been achieved in the development of hatchery production, contributing to the success of Vietnam's shrimp industry. However, the quality management, production and transportation of shrimp seed still have some limitations. These limitations have a significant impact on the brackish water shrimp farming process, which is the results of research and selection of broodstock the country is still very limited. Broodstock depends on imported sources and exploited from the wild and can only provide a part in the country, leading to dependence on seed production and inability to control seed sources. During the peak season of stocking, in the key provinces for commercial shrimp farming, there are still a large number of postlarvae transported from the South Central Coast provinces with no origin, not under quarantine, Deputy Minister emphasized.
In addition, many establishments have not been inspected to issue certificates of eligibility to produce and nurture aquatic breeds according to the provisions of the Fisheries Law but they are still granted quarantine certificates. These are many facilities that do not guarantee the conditions to provide seed to the market.
Among localities that have participated in signing coordination regulations, the information sharing among other localities is not good. Fisheries authorities at the provincial level are assigned the task of general management of aquaculture but do not know how many quarantined seeds are, where they come from, causing great difficulties for the management process.
Speaking at the conference, delegates said that in order to control the quality of shrimp seed, all levels and the General Department of Fisheries should coordinate with localities to strengthen the quality control of broodstock. The system of updating data of aquatic breeders and nurseries are completed. So that localities can update and exploit data; direct localities to well implement the quarantine of shrimp seeds before being sold to other provinces.
Mr. Tran Dinh Luan - Director of the Directorate of Fisheries, highly appreciated Ninh Thuan province as one of the leading localities in the organization of production, quality management of seed, and supply quality shrimp seed market. It is worth mentioning that Ninh Thuan province has actively coordinated with other shrimp consuming provinces such as Phu Yen, Quang Ngai, Thanh Hoa, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Quang Nam, Quang Ninh, Ninh Binh, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Long An, Ho Chi Minh City, Tra Vinh, Tien Giang, Kien Giang, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, in order to control shrimp quality seed, timely providing information, processing information cases of imported shrimp of unknown origin, shrimp infected with infectious diseases. Thereby, this step by step reorganization of the production and nursing establishments of the province, orderly operation in compliance with the State regulations in the production and trading of shrimp seed.
According to the plan set out in 2021, the total brackish water shrimp farming area of the country strives to reach 740 thousand hectares (tiger shrimp 625 thousand hectares, whiteleg shrimp 115 thousand hectares), the output of 930 thousand tons (tiger shrimp 280 thousand hectares) thousand tons, white leg shrimp is 650 thousand tons), the demand for seed is about 130 billion and the demand for broodstock is about 250 thousand. Therefore, in order to successfully implement the brackish water shrimp production plan in 2021, it is necessary to focus on a number of key tasks and solutions for the management and production of brackish water shrimp.
To achieve the goals set out in 2021, Deputy Minister – Mr. Phung Duc Tien directed the Directorate of Fisheries together with localities to focus on implementing the following urgent tasks and solutions:
Focus on research and selection of broodstock that grow quickly and are resistant to a number of common diseases to proactively supply seed production establishments to serve organic and ecological farming areas (it needs 150,000-200,000 tiger shrimp parents by 2030).
Research, select and create broodstock (tiger shrimp, whiteleg shrimp) with fast growth and disease-free growth to actively supply seed production facilities for intensive shrimp farming areas (it needs 600,000 -700,000 tiger shrimp, white leg shrimp parents by 2030).
Producing brackish water shrimp breeds that are sufficient in quantity and quality to serve commercial shrimp farming areas from domestic broodstock (it needs 250-300 billion seed by 2030).
Proposing supplementing and concentrating on the implementation of science and technology tasks to perfect the technological process in the stage of selecting, creating and producing seed shrimp. The research units are encouraged and supported to cooperate with reputable research units to access and transfer new and advanced technologies, shorten research time, especially selective technologies. Implement urgently programs and projects in Decision No. 3475/QD-BNN-TCTS on: (1) The program of selecting broodstock herds; (2) Research, select, and produce high quality black tiger shrimp broodstock; (3) Research, select and produce high quality broodstock.
Proactively broodstock source to limit dependence on nature and imported sources. The localities with favorable natural conditions for the development of seed shrimp production need to boost production and improve the quality to supply the farmers' needs.
It is necessary to adjust science and technology tasks to focus resources, select capable units to assign a long-term research task on breeding brackish water shrimp (especially tiger shrimp) suitable for each our sub-region ecology. It is necessary to choose the breeders in the direction: disease free, fast growth and disease resistance, fast growth.
Businesses are encouraged to associate with research units to quickly put products into production.
The central and local agencies organize the propagation and dissemination of aquatic seed production and trading establishments to fully implement the provisions of the Fisheries Law and its guiding documents.
Establishments are inspected, evaluated and recognized eligible for the production and nursing of aquatic breeds according to the Fisheries Law and the guiding Decree.
The Directorate of Fisheries continues to coordinate with functional agencies in inspecting, and dealing with establishments that violate the quality of aquatic breeds. DoF coordinates with related units to organize a rush of inspection in key provinces, strictly deal with establishments that violate the production conditions and quality of shrimp seed.
The Directorate of Fisheries closely coordinated with localities to manage the quality of seed, information on origin, quality and related issues among local shrimp seed production and local commercial shrimp farming.
The localities continue to inform the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development arising in the management process, especially in the implementation of new regulations in order to promptly coordinate management.
Regarding production organization: Continuing to restructure and reorganize production in the direction of cooperation, linking small shrimp hatcheries to create large-scale concentrated production areas, creating focal points for linking with areas of shrimp seed consumption to control the quality of seed.
At the conference, localities held the signing ceremony of the regulation on the coordination of brackish water shrimp seed management between the producing provinces and the seed consuming provinces to ensure the timely information exchange for public service. In seed management, the two sides agreed on the principle of coordination to facilitate the completion of tasks in detecting, preventing and handling violations of shrimp seed production and consumption.
Accordingly, the shrimp hatchery localities will provide the list and related information of the establishments producing and trading in full or ineligible brackish water shrimp seeds in their management areas every year. The list of establishments that publish the applicable standard and information on the content made public to all regions of consumption is known. In cases where the consuming localities detect the seed shrimps at the farm showing signs of not ensuring quality such as slow growth, shrimp infected with dangerous diseases in the first stage of stocking, they have to notify the localities which have hatcheries to examine, verify and trace the source of shrimp seed. In addition, when the parties detect violations in the production, trading, circulation and quality of brackish water shrimp during the management process, the parties inform each other and coordinate to handle according to regulations and report to the Directorate of Fisheries. In cases, the issue is not under the management authority, the parties shall report to the Directorate of Fisheries to coordinate with functional agencies in handling according to regulations.
Le Mai (theo tongcucthuysan.gov.vn)