March 10, 2009

Shrimp farmers in the Mekong Delta Province will go organic this year in an aim to improve their quality to meet strict export requirements.

Nguyen Thong Nhan, deputy director of the province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, says Mekong Delta has already adopted organic farming several years ago but will try to improve as global markets have become more stringent.

Pham Hoc Duyet, deputy director of Nam Can Seafood Import Export Company, says his company has already invested to hire experts from the German-based Association for Organic Agriculture and the Swiss-based Institute for Market Ecology (IMO) to consult on organic farming.

Unlike traditional shrimp-farming techniques, organic farming requires careful selection of farm sites, protection of nearby ecosystems, a ban on chemicals, organic feed, and processing according to organic standards, he says.

So far, only Breeding Farm No 184 based in Ngoc Hien District has received a certificate for organic shrimp farming from the IMO, says Duyet.

Nam Can is striving to obtain the certificate by June this year, he said.

The executive also said high demand and prices for organic shrimp should increase their production.

Lu Minh Thao, a farmer in Nam Can District, says he began organic shrimp farming in 2002 and now earns an annual income of VND80-110 million (US$4,500-6,000) from his five-hectare shrimp farm compared to VND30 million from traditional farming.

Le Trung Nghia of Ca Mau Import, Export and Processing Joint Stock Company says organic shrimp is becoming increasingly popular in the EU due to its high quality.

But owing to its higher costs, many breeders do not follow this farming model, leading to a shortage of organic shrimp for export, he adds.