May 17, 2011

 

Vietnam to maintain fisheries sector's sustainable development

 

 

Vietnam will prolong its fisheries development plan to achieve economies and high worldwide competitiveness in a sustainable manner, a senior official stated.

 

Addressing a conference held in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam said the focus of the fisheries industry in the next five years (2011-15) would be to ensure output and export value, food safety and improved earnings and living conditions for fishers.

 

The fisheries sector, including both fishing and aquaculture, will also focus on developing the processing industry to raise product value and improve the competitiveness of Vietnamese fishery products.

 

The country's fisheries sector aims to achieve annual export growth of 8%-10% until 2015, with export revenues estimated to reach US$6.5 billion by 2015, according to a five-year draft plan.

 

The plan envisages an average annual growth in fisheries output of 2.66%.

 

In the coming years, besides seeking new export markets and boosting exports to South Africa and Middle East, the sector will further strengthen its presence in the key export markets of the EU, the US and Japan, Tam said.

 

However, the sector faces many challenges that threaten its sustainable development, such as exhausting near-shore natural resources due to over fishing, many participants said at the conference.

 

The development of aquaculture without a proper plan has resulted in low efficiency and adversely affected the environment, Tam said, adding that state agencies should co-operate with local authorities to improve efficiency.

 

Tran Cao Muu, general secretary of the Viet Nam Fisheries Society, said the lack of a long-term strategy for aquatic breeding development is another limitation of the industry, adding that the aquatic breeding industry has not progressed as expected due to scattered investment and overlaps in management.

 

As a result, the country now produces only pangasius fish fry, and imports other breeds including key species such as sugpo prawn and white-legged shrimp, Vinh said.

 

Muu said the country must reduce the number of near-shore fishing vessels, take measures to support these fishermen in changing their vocation and focus more on developing aquatic breeding.

 

The government should also adopt a policy to support fishermen who shift from coastal fishing to offshore fishing, said Phan Minh Quang, deputy director of the Bac Lieu Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

 

Vietnam's seafood exports increased strongly in the 2001-10 period both in volume and value.

 

In 2001, the country exported 375,000 tonnes of seafood, earning US$1.78 billion. Last year, the country raked US$4.94 billion from shipping abroad 1.34 million tonnes of seafood products.