Norway seeks aquaculture projects

A farmer harvests shrimp in the Mekong Delta province of Bạc Liêu. VNA/VNS Photo Duy Khương

Ho Chi Minh City — Representatives from 17 Norwegian fisheries and aquaculture companies visited HCM City from November 7-15 to explore business opportunities and promote co-operation on sustainable aquaculture.

The companies also took part in a Norway - Việt Nam seminar on fisheries processing and aquaculture organised in the city on November 13-14.

The seminar was attended by more than 120 representatives from the Directorate of Fisheries, local departments of fisheries, local fishing vessel owners and the Việt Nam Sea-Culture Association.  

The seminar was organised by the Royal Norwegian Embassy and Innovation Norway in coordination with the Directorate of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

The seminar introduced Norway’s technologies and products for fisheries and fishing vessels, hatcheries, marine and pangasius farming, harvesting and processing.

It also aimed to connect Vietnamese and Norwegian businesses in the sectors of fisheries, pangasius farming, marine fish farming, intensive shrimp farming and lobster farming;

The event discussed how to apply advanced technologies in the value chains of fisheries, aquaculture and processing in Việt Nam.  

Trần Đình Luân, deputy general director of the Directorate of Fisheries, said the seminar introduced Norway’s technologies that could help Việt Nam achieve sustainable fishing and aquaculture.

He said the fisheries sector would focus on improving seafood quality, fish health, water treatment and traceability, and at the same time reduce mortality and use of antibiotics.

Harald Naevdal, commercial counselor of Norwegian Embassy in Hà Nội, said: “The marine business segment is one of the most important elements in the business relations between Việt Nam and Norway.”

“Norway has one of the most developed aquaculture industries in the world,” he said.

In recent decades, the co-operation between Norway and Việt Nam in the fisheries sector has contributed to the development of Việt Nam’s first law on fisheries and profitable and sustainable fish farming in the country.  

In addition, Nha Trang University has also benefited from 20 years of academic co-operation with several prestigious universities in Norway with high competence in the marine sector, with the support of the Norwegian government.