January 22, 2008

Vietnam fish farming expands to upland areas

Vietnam's aquaculture production is moving towards the upland areas of Lam Dong province with a pilot project to breed rainbow trout and sturgeon.

Lao Cai was the first region to successfully breed these species, making Lam Dong the second area for breeding investments.

Lam Dong is located 1,500 meters above sea level and offers forests and temperate waters. The fish farms are productive and capable of producing hundreds of thousands of fish per year. It is estimated that each hectare could yield up to 30 tonnes of fish.

Since April 2006, the rainbow trout trial project has produced 20,000 young fish in a Lam Dong village. The pilot project was run by Quang Hiep Fish Test-raising and Research Station under the Institute of Aquaculture, about 55 kilometres from the city of Da Lat.

Nguyen Viet Thuy, head of the research station, said that raising the cold water fish, which originated from Finland, is estimated to reap future profits of 30-40 percent of the total revenue.

For every hectare, a breeder could potentially earn up to VND4.5 billion (US$281,000).

Currently, Vietnam has an increasing demand for trout but supplies are limited.

Hoang Pho Company invested on the fish breeding business in Lam Dong, as approved by the province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD).