The area dedicated to clam and scallop farming in Vietnam’s seven Mekong Delta provinces is expected to more than triple in the next four years and more than quadruple in the next nine years, the Vietnamese Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) reported on Tuesday.
Citing Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, VASEP reported that Mekong Delta clam production is projected to reach 15,950 hectares with 142,700 metric tons by 2015 and 20,590 hectares with 206,300 metric tons by 2020. Mekong Delta scallop production is forecasted to reach 12,160 hectares with 63,320 metric tons by 2015 and 15,100 hectares with 102,688 metric tons by 2020.
The Mekong Delta provinces include Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Tien Giang, Soc Trang, Kien Giang, Ben Tre and Tra Vinh.
The news for black tiger shrimp in Vietnam’s Soc Trang province isn’t nearly as encouraging. Citing the Soc Trang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, VASEP reported on Friday that almost 25,000 hectares of shrimp farming was wiped out in the first seven months of 2011, with black tigers representing nearly 70 percent of the total.
The cause of death is unknown, and Soc Trang farmers are being urged to not to restock their ponds with black tigers and instead switch to freshwater prawns or rice, according to VASEP.
