Bình Định gets bumper crop of shrimps

Bình Định farmers have just reaped two harvests with output being twice more than the previous year. They have got three consecutive years of abundant crops of shimps.

Abundant crop, good price

According to Bình Định Sub-department of aquaculture and fisheries, farmed shrimp production reaches 5,240 tons, up nearly 50% as compared to the same period last year; average production of white leg shrimps is 10-11 tons/ha, making almost farmers earn high profit.

Tuy Phước,which has the most shrimp farming areas with 997 hectares of surface water along East dyke, reaped over 90% of the crop and got 1,808 tons, up nearly 8% year-on-year. According to Vice Chairman of Tuy Phước People’s Committee Trần Kỳ Quang, after a bumper crop, farmers are eagerly preparing for the second one on 75 hectares of semi-intensive farming areas along the high tide positions of the East dyke in Phước Sơn, Phước Hòa, Phước Thuận, and Phước Thắng communes. The area under the dyke is used for shrimp – crab – fish rotation by improved extensive farming system. As for polyculture, shrimps are no longer key species but crabs and fishes.“Phước Thắng farmers are harvesting white leg shrimps from semi-intensive farming areas with output reaching 5 tons/ha and average price 110,000 VND/kg, making farmers earn 550 million VND/ha. They also gets one ton of shrimp from one hectare of improved extensive farming area plus crabs and fishes, earning 150 million VND/ha. This is a very good sign”, Quang says.

Not only does local farmers get abundant crop, but they also sell shrimps at steady price. Average prices of white leg shrimps size 100 pcs/kg from two harvests ranges from 105,000 VND to 110,000 VND/kg and tiger shrimps (25 – 30 pcs/kg) 260,000 – 280,000 VND/kg, making some households earn hundreds of million dong.

Safe and effective

Phạm Thanh Nhân, Head of Aquaculture Office of Bình Định Sub-Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries says that local farmers are raising awareness about effectiveness of production, they participate into shrimp farming system for biosafety assurance. They strictly follow technical solutions and season schedule given by agricultural offices. Before being stocked, post larvae are well selected and checked for quality and diseases.

According to Võ Đình Tâm, Manager of Bình Định Sub-department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, intensive greenhouse shrimp farming is beneficial to farmers in 2018 crops. The companies behind this system are Vietnam-Australia Group with six hi-tech ponds (500m2 each) in Mỹ Thành commune producing 2 tons/pond (40 tons/ha), and Thành Ly Ltd with 1.4 hectares of hi-tech farming areas in Cát Hải and Cát Thành (Phù Cát), making production of 20 tons/ha.

Rainy season is coming to Bình Định, farmers are hurrying for the second crop and improving the quality of on-sand shrimp ponds by consolidation around the side and culverts.