Bạc Liêu to expand 2 sustainable shrimp farming models

BẠC LIÊU – The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Bạc Liêu plans to expand its efficient and sustainable super-intensive shrimp farming and shrimp-rice farming models.

The former model was first developed by companies in 2017 and later expanded to households, according to the province’s Agriculture Extension Centre.

The province has 1,845ha of super-intensive shrimp farming ponds, including 950ha belonging to companies and 324ha to households.

The model requires large initial investment of VNĐ1-1.6 billion (US$43,100-69,000) per hectare, but offers profits of VNĐ600 million-1 billion ($25.900-43,100) a year.

Under the shrimp-rice farming model, farmers grow rice in the rainy season and breed shrimp in the dry season on the same rice fields.

The rice yield is 4.4-5 tonnes per hectare per crop and the shrimp yield is 230-350 kilogrammes.

The shrimp-rice farming model is friendly to the environment as farmers use few pesticides and chemicals and it adapts to climate change.

The province has 37,700ha under the model, and, according to its Agriculture Extension Centre, has the capacity to expand it to 50,000ha.

Speaking at a seminar in Bạc Liêu on Thursday, Dương Thành Trung, chairman of the province's People’s Committee, instructed local agencies to co-operate with research institutions to finalise the farming processes for the two models and train farmers.

Waste treatment facilities should be included in the super-intensive model to protect the environment, he warned.

The growth of shrimp co-operatives and co-operative groups that use advanced farming techniques should be fostered, he said.

The province encouraged farmers to breed shrimp to quality standards like Vietnamese good agricultural practices (VietGAP) and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), he added.

Lưu Hoàng Ly, director of the province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province was quickly building infrastructure for a hi-tech agriculture zone to develop shrimp farming.

This would help to develop the province into the country’s shrimp industry hub, he said.

The province plans to have four hi-tech aquaculture areas, including one for producing fry, by next year, and 10 by 2025.

It targets exports of $750 million worth of shrimp next year and $1 billion by 2025.

Bạc Liêu expects to produce 155,000 tonnes of shrimp this year, 15.1 per cent more than last year, according to the department.