PM calls for shrimp exports to reach $10b
PM calls for shrimp exports to reach $10b
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked the shrimp industry to strive for an export value of US$10 billion by 2025 during a conference on shrimp production held in the southernmost province of Ca Mau on Monday.
Participants heard that Viet Nam has become the world’s third largest shrimp exporter and the world’s leading exporter of giant tiger prawn.
Shrimp exports accounted for nearly 50 per cent of total seafood exports, with the highest value of nearly $4 billion achieved in 2014.
Giant tiger prawn and white-legged shrimp - brackish water species - are being farmed in 30 provinces and cities and are key export products. The south central provinces of Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Khanh Hoa and southwestern provinces like Ca Mau and Bac Lieu are main shrimp producers. Ca Mau has the largest shrimp breeding areas.
According to Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nguyen Xuan Cuong, shrimp, with its high value, has been chosen as an important product for restructuring the seafood industry in particular, and agriculture in general.
Speaking at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung said that Viet Nam’s shrimp industry still has a lot of room for improvement, not only because of high global demand, but also because the area suitable for farming shrimp in Viet Nam is very large, particularly the Mekong Delta.
The Deputy PM recommended the Minstry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to review relevant institutions to revise and support the shrimp industry and work with localities to make planning based on global demand and the restructuring of the agricultural sector and response to climate change.
PM Phuc said the shrimp industry should work to account for 10 per cent of the country’s GDP.
He asked the State Bank of Viet Nam to instruct commercial banks to provide sufficient capital for the industry, especially for high-tech breeding.
He also reminded industry insiders to diversify export markets to avoid risks stemming from heavy reliance on a single market.
He assured that the Government will stand with businesses to protect their legitimate rights and benefits in anti-dumping lawsuits, but will mete out severe punishments to violations damaging the prestige of Vietnamese shrimps.
He assigned the MARD to quickly design an action programme for the development of the shrimp industry.
PM visits shrimp firm
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited the Minh Phu Seafood Corporation in Ca Mau Province on Sunday, a day ahead of a national conference on developing the shrimp industry.
Minh Phu is Viet Nam’s leading seafood exporter with its products reaching more than 50 foreign markets. Shrimp exports alone fetched the corporation $535 million in 2016. The corporation employs 12,000 workers.
The PM hailed the company’s research and adoption of various models for shrimp farming. Every model should ensure that the environment is protected, he said.
He expressed his hope that Minh Phu will earn $2billion from exports by 2021, contributing to realising the national target of $10 billion in shrimp exports value.
Corporation officials told the PM that they were developing a chain of shrimp farmers to ensure supply of clean raw material that meets quality requirements in demanding markets and allow easy verification of product origin.
Given that the province has 100,000 hectares of mangrove forest, a mangrove-based shrimp farming model could be an effective way to boost development and reduce poverty in Ca Mau, they suggested.
