Soc Trang (VNA) – Aconference was held in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang on March 23 todiscuss how to realize the 10 billion USD shrimp export target by 2025 as requestedby the Prime Minister.

Speaking at the event, DeputyMinister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam directed agenciesconcerned and localities to keep a close track of weather patterns and epidemicdiseases as well as increase output from now on, especially amid the uncertainclimate change at present.

Localities should adopt moretechnological advances in production, with a focus on controlling the qualityof fries and spreading effective farming models, he suggested.

The provinces of Ca Mau, Bac Lieu andSoc Trang were asked to increase supervision over the use of antibiotics forshrimp, thereby increasing the staple’s value and expanding markets at home andabroad.

This year, the country strives tobreed 700,000ha of shrimp with nearly 130 billion fries for an output of 660,000tonnes.

To that end, the Directorate ofFisheries outlined four specific measures involving environment monitoring andforecast, and response to drought and saline intrusion; fries quality andproduction; feed management and bio-produce for shrimp farming; and breedingtechnical process.

It said though suffering lesserimpacts from drought and saline intrusion than in the same period last year,the region is still hit by unseasonal rainfalls and changing temperatures,which partly hurts shrimp breeding.

Statistics showed that the newfarming coverage has so far surpassed 536,440ha, mostly prawn (more than521,000ha) and the remaining 15,000ha is for white leg shrimp farming. Thetotal production is estimated at around 40,000 tonnes this year, an increase of20 percent year-on-year.

Associate Professor Truong Quoc Phufrom Can Tho University proposed developing organic shrimp breeding models andopening centres for shrimp fries research to ease reliance on imported ones,making it easier for the formation of value chains and attract more investments.

Luong Minh Quyet, Director of theprovincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, suggested theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development offer advice on building a Decreeon the management of processing, exporting and developing shrimp farming inbrackish water.

In order to minimise risks forbreeders, he also called attention to relevant agricultural insurance policiesand breeders’ access to capital.-VNA