March 15, 2007

Vietnam's Ca Mau province posts huge seafood export gains in 2006
 

Shrimp harvests from Southern Ca Mau province accounted for 20 percent of the country's total shrimp production areas last year with revenues reaching US$850 million, making the province the leading shrimp producer in Mekong Delta region.

In 2006, despite a number of difficulties in the consumption market, material sources, changeable weather, oil price hikes and diseases, the province's seafood sector made significant progress. The total exploitation and aquaculture volume reached 277,500 tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 9.1 percent and export volume reached 66,000 tonnes, up 13 percent compared to the previous year. The province has successfully carried out 60 aquaculture models in different ecosystems.

In the first two months of this year, aquaculture volume is estimated to reach around 20,000 tonnes. Most households have yielded the first industrial shrimp crop and are preparing for new crops. The number of shrimp breeders is increasing steadily. Currently, the farming of freshwater fish is also developing strongly and bringing high incomes for households in the districts of Cai Nuoc, Thoi Binh, U Minh and Tran Van Thoi. 

Ca Mau is transferring to off-shore fishing. It has poured a great deal of investment into improving the infrastructure of the fishery sector as the province yielded more than 645 tonnes in seafood from 2001 to 2005. It earned US$580 million in export value in 2006, up 13.8 percent compared to 2005 as its aquaculture production value increased by 70 percent.

Ca Mau authorities are now encouraging local people to raise shrimp, instead of rice. Diverse models of shrimp breeding have been developed as many families also combined raising shrimp with fish, crabs and arca.