Production by the Vietnamese aquaculture sector is on target to reach 4.7 million metric tons by 2030, according to Nguyen Huu Dung, chairman of the Vietnam Seaculture Association (VSA).
Speaking at an event in Ho Chi Minh City recently, Dung said the export earnings from the industry could be as much as US$30 billion to US$35 billion by that time, reports VietnamNet.
The potential and present challenges of the Vietnamese aquaculture sector have been recognized by Netherlands-based feed company, De Heus, which has just opened a new fish research center in the Mekong Delta area.
According to Vietnam Briefing, VSA puts the value of this trade at US$12 billion to US$13 billion by 2020. The sector is moving toward the production of more value-added products, supported by recent government support for a project to achieve this and investment from state and foreign sources.
Between 2010 and 2016, marine fish aquaculture in Vietnam increased from 15,700 metric tons (mt) to 28,300 mt, largely due to the opportunities offered by the country’s 3,000-kilometer coastline. Among the challenges faced by the sector are the small scale of many aquaculture businesses, inefficient supply chains and a lack of technology.
De Heus opens Aquaculture Research & Development Centre
Dutch-based animal feed company, Royal De Heus officially opened its Aquaculture Research & Development Centre in Vinh Long this month.
Supported also by Fresh Studio, Vietnam’s Can Tho University and the Netherlands’ Wageningen University, the De Heus R&D Centre will be used to trial new fish feed formulations and aquaculture techniques. It will also undertake research for other public and private organizations, focusing mainly on fish species, pangasius and tilapia.
The facility covers six hectares, and includes 111 indoor tanks and 25 outdoor ponds, as well as pumping stations, water treatment ponds, bio-filter tanks, laboratory, storage buildings and offices.
“This facility, in the center of the Mekong delta, is equipped to test the nutritional value of ingredients, innovative feed formulas and innovative farming techniques. We will also use it to train farmers in farming management and best practices,” said Gabor Fluit, business group director of De Heus Asia.
