March 25, 2008

Vietnam's aqua farmers blame shrimp deaths on high acid concentration in ponds

Thousands of Vietnamese farmers in the Cuu Long River Delta reported that their 1-2-month-old shrimp are dying on a large scale due to overly high PH concentration in shrimp ponds.

Vietnamese shrimp farmers now have to deal with shrimp ponds with lime and chemicals before they can start the next shrimp hatchery crop.

The farmers worry that local banks will not lend them money as the prices of breeder shrimp soared from VND32,000 (US$2.02) per 1,000 units to VND40,000 (US$2.53) per 1,000 units.

According to local authorities, Soc Trang and Bac Lieu provinces have 600 hectares with dead shrimp.

Meanwhile, the situation in Ca Mau province is more serious with 33,850 ha of ponds with dead shrimp. Shrimp are dying extensively in ponds in Tran Van Thoi, U Minh and Dam Doi districts.

Kien Giang province also reports of 9,000 ha of shrimp ponds affected.

As of March 21, around 44,000 ha of shrimp ponds in the Cuu Long River Delta had been affected.

Nguyen Van Luan, a farmer in An Lac commune in Tran Van Thoi district in Ca Mau province, said that his shrimp, which he had been breeding for two months, suddenly turned red and died.

Su Van Minh, head of the Agriculture Division under Tran Van Thoi district's People's Committee, said that shrimp are dying because farmers do not follow the aquaculture schedule.

However, Phan Van Sa, director of the Bac Lieu Hydrometeorology Centre, contradicted this information, saying that it was due to the unseasonal rains on Ca Mau peninsula, which caused the water conditions of shrimp ponds to unexpectedly change.