Ben Tre (VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre will be developingits shrimp sector’s value chain with intensive farming and advancedtechnological application, aiming to make it the spearhead of the locality’sindustrial production sector by 2025, according to Vice Chairman of theprovincial People’s Committee Nguyen Huu Lap.

Under a recently issued action plan, costing over 2.6 trillion VND (111.8million USD), the province will promote the value-chain development of theshrimp industry during 2018-2020. Some 36,800ha will be zoned off for shrimpcultivation, including 35,000ha for brackish shrimp and 1,800ha for giant riverprawn.

Total shrimp output for the period is expected to hit 62,810 tonnes, and exportrevenue is forecast at 30 million USD.

High technologies will be applied in extensive shrimp farming, shrimp-ricefarming, and shrimp-forest farming models in the province during 2020-2025. Thelocality predicts shrimp cultivation to increase to 37,420ha, with earningsfrom export to rise to 53 million USD.

The province has already set up large-scale eco-shrimp farming models in thedistricts of Ba Tri, Binh Dai, and Thach Phu. It is also calling for investmentin three shrimp processing plants during the 2020-2025 period.

Lap said that to realise its set goals, comprehensive measures must be carriedout, including in infrastructure development, science and technologydevelopment, and investment promotion.

Besides branching out cooperatives to form large material production areas, theprovince has turned production zones with low proficiencies into specialisedaquaculture facilities, which are in line with local planning and have closeconnections with processing and consuming processes.

Ben Tre will prioritise infrastructure projects, especially investment inirrigational systems in farming areas that apply high technologies.

Furthermore, it will join hands with universities and institutes to study newtechnologies which are suitable for material production (fry, foodstuff, andequipment), farming, processing, preservation, and consumption.

The province is currently home to some 35,000ha of shrimp farms, which yieldmore than 50,000 tonnes per year.-VNA