Soc Trang (VNA) ⛎- Amid difficulties in export markets, significant efforts are required for Vietnam to meet its goal of 4.3 billion USD in shrimp export revenue this year, said Truong Dinh Hoe, General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

He attributed the obstacles to global fluctuations over armed conflicts, climate change, tightening food safety requirements by importing countries, and high inflation in the US. Data from the Vietnam Directorate of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) showed the total brackish water shrimp farming area was 747,000 hectares last year, with total output exceeding 1 million tonnes, up 8.5% year-on-year. Currently, the country houses 2,294 hectares of shrimp breeding area, which turned out 159.5 billion shrimplets in 2022, an annual increase of 10%. This year, Vietnam aims to expand its shrimp farming area to 750,000 hectares for more than 1 million tonnes in output and 4.3 billion USD in export revenue. Trinh Trung Phi, a technical director at the Vietnamese shrimp company Viet Uc, highlighted the importance of sustainable technological solutions in the growth of the sector. MARD Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said that in order to reach the target, shrimp farm communities should connect with each other and with associations engaging in the production chain to ensure the smooth operation of the whole chain. They should work to strengthen food safety inspection and thus enhance the quality of the products for domestic consumption and export. In addition, it is necessary to strictly implement regulations in farming conditions, farming registration, and quality of animal feed, and improve the weather forecast accuracy to prevent risks for farmers, he said. He advised businesses and farmers to build suitable plans and prepare conditions to become proactive in production amid extreme weather and environmental conditions such as drought, saltwater intrusion, and shrimp diseases, as well as a hike of input material costs. They should connect to each other in the production chain to cut costs while applying high production standards such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP, and ASC, he added./.