Kiên Giang has ambitious plans for industrial shrimp farming

Farmers breed shrimp using advanced farming techniques in Kiên Giang Province. – VNA/VNS Photo Huỳnh Sử

Ho Chi Minh City – The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Kiên Giang has 2,000ha of industrial and semi-industrial shrimp farming models, or 79 per cent of its target for the year.

Kiên Giang, one of the largest shrimp producers in the delta, has harvested around 10,000 tonnes of the crustaceans on these farms, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The farms are mostly situated in Hòn Đất, Kiên Lương, Giang Thành, and U Minh Thượng districts and Hà Tiên Town.

Super-intensive shrimp farming, also popular, is a model in which the density of the creatures could be up to 250 per square metre compared to 50 in traditional models.

Ponds are covered with anti-sunshine nets and their beds with plastic sheets, and equipped with fans on the surface and pumps on the beds to oxygenate the ponds.

Super-intensive farming offers high yields and enables breeders to control the quality of water and diseases, but it requires large investments.

The model yields 30 - 50 tonnes per hectare per crop. 

According to the department, the growth of industrial and semi-industrial shrimp farming remains sluggish and the models fall short of the province’s potential.

This has been blamed on farmers’ lack of financial resources.

Farmers and companies have been reluctant to set up farms this year due to prolonged hot weather, large differences in temperatures between day and night, disease outbreaks, and falling prices of shrimp, according to the department.

Quảng Trọng Thao, deputy director of the department, said the province planned to have 2,500ha of industrial and semi-industrial shrimp farms, which would produce 18,000 tonnes.

The department said nine shrimp farming companies, which have licences to set up 1,830ha of farms, would not meet their target.

But Thao said the province would create favourable conditions to enable them to achieve their target.

It has improved power, irrigation and transport infrastructure required for industrial and semi-industrial shrimp farming in major breeding areas, he said.

Kiên Giang plans to expand the industrial and semi-industrial shrimp farming area by 2020 to 5,000ha and annual output to 41,330 tonnes.