Achievements
Vinh Phuc is of great potential for aquaculture development. Currently, the province has over 7,000 ha of water surface, focusing on districts of Vinh Tuong,Yen Lac, Binh Xuyen, etc.
According to Vinh Phuc provincial Sub-Department of Fisheries, the province has nearly 11 thousand households engaging in aquaculture, of which, nearly 10,000 households cultured fish on water surface areas, 20 households reared fish in cages and roughly 800 households and 10 establishments engage in aquatic seed production. During 2004 – 2014, the province’s aquaculture continued growing with growth rate reaching 4.2 per cent per year and the average aquaculture production reached 17.5 thousand tons/year. The aquaculture production value accounted for 8.4 per cent of total agro-forestry–fisheries group’s value. In addition, aquatic seed production has seen strong increase, with fish seed production increasing from 2,540 million fries and fingerlings in 2013 to 2,623 million fries and fingerlings in 2016 which basically met the demand of seeds in the provinces.
In order to tap fully potentials for aquaculture development, over the past months, the Sub-Department of Fisheries has encouraged farmers in the province to develop farming in various forms and cultured species. For example, mono-sex tilapia and hybrid carp culturing has been reared by 116 households from 8 districts. After 6 months of culturing, fish weighed from 700 - 900g per fish and productivity was 13 tons/ha, bringing about profit of over VND 100 million per hectare.
In addition, the Sub-Department of Fisheries gave guides to farmers about farming techniques for new cultured species, intensive farming associated with environmental protection, fish farming under VietGAP and biological safety farming to improve productivity and value. At the same time, it guided aquatic seed production establishments in implementing technical measures to prevent diseases on fish, taking cared of fish brood stocks and ensuring supplying of high quality seeds for farmers. Additionally, it collaborated with relevant units in inspecting production establishments and trading of aquatic seeds, feeds, environmental treatment products in aquaculture.
As a result, the province’s aquaculture industry has seen stable growth which is proved by the expansion of semi-intensive and intensive fish farming areas. Many farmers have been interested in applying advanced technology into production.
Challenges
However, Vinh Phuc province’s aquaculture still exists shortcomings and not developed sustainably yet.
Besides aquaculture in the province depends on the weather, productivity and production is still low. The reason is that farmers mainly cultured fish under extensive farming, advanced extensive farming and semi–intensive farming using mainly rough fish. Also, low investment capital along with limited knowledge of farming technique of farmers has hindered the application of advanced science and technology to aquaculture. Another reason is the province’s aquaculture has not had its own planning yet. Thus, it led to limiting the businesses’ investment capital and poor linkage in production. Meanwhile, water source serving for aquaculture mainly depends on irrigation water while the weather condition is unstable, causing difficulties for aquaculture, especially seed production.
Towards sustainability
In order for the province’s aquaculture sector to develop sustainably, Sub-Department of Fisheries has come up with some solutions.
Firstly, the province will build planning for aquaculture development according to key areas and communes in the period 2016 - 2020, vision to 2030. Secondly, it will improve infrastructure system for aquaculture such as embankment system, irrigation, water supplying, etc.
Additionally, the Sub-Department will develop seed production under forms of collectives, groups and organize training courses for farmers about farming techniques to prevent fish diseases, producing seed production safely and encouraging farmers to apply VietGAP standard into farming process.
Apart from this, the province will actively transfer advanced technology into production, continue expanding farming areas towards intensive farming, develop culturing of high economic value species to increase productivity; at the same time, it will continue to implement the program on aquatic resource protection and development in the period 2016 - 2020.
Giáng Hương