Vietnam striving to promote sustainable marine aquaculture development

Vietnam is to have 280,000 ha of marine aquaculture area and 10.5 million cubic metres of farming cages by 2025, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

A shrimp farming area in Phu Yen province (Photo: thanhnien)

Annual marine aquaculture output and export turnover are expected to reach 850,000 tonnes and between US$800 million and US$1 billion, the ministry said.

The MARD has taken a series of measures to promote sustainable marine aquaculture in coastal areas nationwide, towards turning the sector into a key part of the country’s maritime economy by 2045.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said agencies have coordinated with coastal localities to review and build a plan for aquaculture development in Vietnam to 2030 with a vision to 2045.

The plan will focus on improving the output, quality, and economic efficiency of marine aquaculture, protecting the environment and adapting to climate change, restructuring production activities, and building value chains for each group of products, with industrial marine aquaculture to play a key role.

Incentive policies will be available to offshore industrial aquaculture enterprises, to encourage them to invest.

Attention will be paid to creating business communities in offshore aquaculture in major coastal cities and provinces, including Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Ca Mau, and Kien Giang, as well as others with substantial potential.

Marine aquaculture and aquatic processing centres, logistics services, and fisheries infrastructure will be developed in north-central and central coastal localities from Thanh Hoa to Binh Thuan.

Priority will be given to developing models of multi-species farming and in supporting establishments shifting away from traditional models to industrial models.

The application of high technologies, international cooperation in technology transfer, and investment attraction in the field will be also promoted, while relevant research projects will be supported.

Vietnam aims to have an advanced marine farming industry with sustainable development and systematic management by 2045. The country is set to raise annual output and export value to 3 million tonnes and over US$10 billion.