Build a stable shrimp material production zone to serve exports

Cà Mau province is reviewing and planning for specialized farming zone, investing into infrastructure, irrigation, and building a stable material production area to serve exports.

Build productive farming models

According to Cà Mau provincial Agriculture and Rural Development Department, the province has 9,500ha farming area of industry shrimp, 133,400ha of extensive area, 19,000 ha of certified area, and 2,000ha of super intensive aquaculture.

The local authorities are planning to specialize in intensive and super-intensive shrimp farming area to improve productivity, capacity and quality. There are now about 1,500 households involved in super-intensive farming model. Average production reaches 40-50 tons/ha/crop and survival rate is over 85%.

Deputy Head of Fisheries Sub-department of Cà Mau provincial Agriculture and Rural Development Department Nguyễn Văn Trung says super-intensive farming system in the province assures high rate of success. Many firms and farmers have practiced effective aquaculture models by applying high-tech in production such as Biofloc in combination with Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS), water change, biogas vault to reduce environment pollution.

Besides, improved intensive shrimp farming system is developed in many areas in Cà Mau. Farmers earn averagely 60-70 million dong/year from every hectare of stocking area. Environment pollution has been reduced as natural farming is applied in improved extensive farming with algae and weed being used as feed.

Moreover, rearing giant river prawn in rice field in Thới Bình district is considered a stable model. The district has around 16,500ha of farming area for this species with average productivity of 190kg/ha/crop, helping farmers raise their income.

Head of Agriculture and Rural Development Office of Thới Bình district Nguyễn Hoàng Lâm says Thới Bình has potential of developing shrimp-rice model, especially rice-giant river shrimp polyculture and black tiger shrimp rotation. During the last time, Cà Mau has been developing farming model in accordance with ecology characteristics of every region; particularly shrimp-rice in Thới Bình, U Minh, Trần Văn Thời and Cà Mau city, mangrove shrimp in Năm Căn, Ngọc Hiển, Đầm Dơi, Phú Tân; crab-bloody clams polyculture in coastal areas. Besides, the provincial authorities are planning and arranging an area specializing in rice-shrimp in Thới Bình, U Minh and Cà Mau city.

Sustainable development

Deputy Head of Fisheries Sub-department of Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Cà Mau Nguyễn Văn Trung says in the next time local authorities would improve environment survey and control to reduce disposal resources, control shrimp seed quality and diseases that shrimps might suffer.

Stable farming models that bring high efficiency and adapt climate change. Local authorities are required to instruct farmers to apply high technology in producing and following standards like VietGAP, GlobaGAP, ASC to improve quality.

Chairman of Cà Mau People’s Committee Nguyễn Tiến Hải requests local authorities to review and plan for intensive and super-intensive shrimp farming in accordance with natural and actual conditions of the province to avoid spontaneous farming outside the planning zone.

Besides, provincial authorities will research to issuesupportive policies for production, investment into infrastructure and improvement of electricity, irrigation, environment protection. They need encourage and attract companies in the province and outside to invest into intensive and super-intensive shrimp farming industry.