Vietnams right choice of organic shrimp

Vietnam is one of six countries (Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Philippines) that provide the world with organic shrimp. Organic culture of shrimp is a possible direction of development for farmers in Vietnam.

The word “organic shrimp” that was firstly used in Vietnam in 2015, is subject to a delicious and nutritious product and friendly to environment.

In 2018, a semi-intensive shrimp farming project was approved by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for food safety assurance. The project was to develop a sustainable farming system of black tiger shrimp without antibiotics in order to assure food safety and create a link between producers and companies, enhancing economic efficiency and product value. It was designed with twenty-four semi-intensive shrimp farming models for safety assurance, five hectares each. Those models meet technical requirements such as: productivity of lower area reaches over one tons/ha, central and upper area more than two tons/ha; harvest size of 40pc/kg, and survival rate at least 60%. Advanced technique would be applied in farming to assure food safety.

According to Directorate of Fisheries, Vietnam is maintaining its strength of black tiger shrimp. Vietnam’s organic shrimp have their own position in markets. In the last time, besides white leg shrimp being applied semi-intensive and super-intensive model; organic shrimp, mangrove-shrimp, rice-shrimp and extensive shrimp are strength of this industry.

Shrimp farming has been facing challenges because environment is getting more and more polluted. Organic shrimps are of high quality, friendly to environment, and especially accepted in markets. Associate Professor and Doctor Nguyễn Văn Sánh in Mekong Delta Research and Development Institute says that environment under mangrove is fresh, helping shrimp catch less diseases. Farmers earn more profit since medicine cost is cut off. Obviously, prices of organic shrimp are much higher than others.

Cà Mau is one of potential areas of shrimp, especially organic ones. The province has given certification of organic shrimp for more than 11,000 hectares by international organizations. Local authorities are planning to get certification for 30,000 ha of mangrove-shrimp farms in 2020.