The Vietnamese shrimp farming sector could become self-sufficient in hatchery broodstock as early as 2020, thanks in part to a new program launched by the Vietnam-Australia Group.
To date, Vietnam’s shrimp producers have relied on imported parent shrimp, particularly from the United States, Singapore and Thailand, but the group has applied technology and careful selection over a number of years to create high-quality, disease-free broodstock.
According to local media reports, the company is now able to meet 25 percent of Vietnam’s shrimp broodstock needs.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Vu Van Tam, said the Southeast Asian country’s shrimp industry aims to gross USD 10 billion (EUR 8.5 billion) in exports by 2025 and produce 1.1 million metric tons (MT) of shrimp on 750,000 hectares. To realize this goal, Vietnam needs between 500,000 and 600,000 parent shrimp.
In particular, Vietnam requires rapid-growth and disease-resistant black tiger (Penaeus monodon) and whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) for extensive farming to create large volumes of products that are able to meet the strict requirements on food safety and quarantine from overseas markets.
Vietnam exported USD 2.3 billion (EUR 2 million) worth of shrimp in the first eight months of this year, representing an increase of 21.3 percent year-on-year. Of this total, exports to the EU accounted for USD 483.6 million (EUR 411.9 million), up 30 percent year-on-year; while shipments to the U.S. market reached almost USD 416 million (EUR 354.4 million), down 4.4 percent.
Overall, the country’s total shrimp harvest is expected to increase slightly to 660,000 MT this year.
