March 4, 2008

Vietnam kicks off vannamei shrimp rearing projects

Vietnam's seafood companies started projects to rear white-leg shrimp or vannamei shrimp in the Mekong Delta provinces after the approval of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Minh Phu Seafood Corp. has been given the nod for the trial project of vannamei shrimp farming by Ca Mau People's Committee.

Vannamei shrimp will be cultivated in the area of 20 hectares in Nam Can district, Ca Mau province.

The company will provide Vietnamese farmers with cash, breeding, feed and farming techniques. It later on will purchase commercial shrimp from farmers at the market prices.

Sao Ta Foods JSC, or Fimex VN, early March will also sign contract with Tan Tien Science and Technology Company to rear white shrimp Soc Trang province.

The companies will breed the shrimp on 60 hectares in Long Phu district, and 100 hectares in Cu Lao Dung district.

Currently, white shrimp is 30 - 50 percent cheaper than Vietnam's black tiger. The price of black tiger shrimp in Ca Mau province is around VND160,000 a kilo (US$10).

Black tiger shrimps have lately become less competitive when pitted against rival white shrimp due to price differences.

Vannamei or the white shrimp variety now account for 70 percent of the global shrimp output.