January 13, 2009
Vietnam may slash aquaculture acreage in 2009
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in Vietnam is planning to reduce the nation's total aquaculture area by 35,000 hectares to 1.06 million hectares, reducing Vietnam's estimated production of aquatic products to 2.3 million tonnes per year.
According to Bui Duc Quy, vice head of MARD's Aquaculture Department, the fall of global demand for shrimp due to the worldwide economic meltdown has prompted the move.
Top buyers of Vietnamese shrimp such as the US and Japan has temporarily cut imports and prices in the domestic market have fallen to its lowest level for ten years, hence, the area reduction.
Still, MARD has called for strict enforcement of regulations for facilities, environmental hygiene, and the quality of breeding stock.
Farmers should still keep abreast of the latest aquaculture techniques and prevention methods for diseases.
Moreover, they must also manage and monitor the quality of feed and the use of chemicals at breeding farms across the nation. Vietnamese seafood exports in the past have encountered numerous bans due to excessive chemical residues.
