May 18, 2004

Vietnam To Develop Brackish Water Shrimp Farming

The Vietnamese Ministry of Fisheries has moved to expand brackish water shrimp-farming areas to 600,000 ha by 2010, as a way to help meet its target of 4.5-5 billion USD from exports of seafood by that time.

The Ministry has asked localities involved in brackish water shrimp farming to devise their own plans on developing shrimp breeds that not only have high economic value, but also ensure environmental and ecological protection.

By the end of this month, the Ministry will hold a conference to discuss measures to boost sustainable shrimp farming.

Vietnamese shrimp has become European consumers' favourite thanks to its high quality. Experts said the EU market's demand for the product will continue to rise in the coming months.

In the first three months of this year, Viet Nam earned 420 million USD from exports of seafood, a 3.16 percent rise over the same period last year.

This year, the fisheries sector is poised to earn between 2.5 and 2.6 billion USD from exports.

To help the sector increase export value, the Government will provide the sector with around 10 billion VND (645,000 USD) to carry out trade promotion programmes.

The sum will help businesses participate in fairs, hold seminars for their products in key and new markets, namely Germany, France, Belgium, Japan, China, the Republic of Korea and Eastern European countries, as well as register their trade marks at home and on the international market.