Gov't approves marine aquaculture development mater plan through 2025

By 2025, Viet Nam expects to have 280,000 ha of marine aquaculture area and 10 million cubic meters of fish cage farming while the annual marine aquaculture output is projected to reach 850,000 tons. 

By 2045, the marine aquaculture industry will play a crucial role in the aquatic sector, contributing 25 percent of the total aquatic output and earning more than US$4 billion from exporting. 

The plan targets to turn northern coastal localities of Hai Phong and Quang Ninh into marine aquaculture centers in association with marine conservation and coastal tourism and to develop mollusk breed production areas to meet the regional and national demands for mollusk breeds. 

Central coastal cities and provinces from Thanh Hoa to Binh Thuan will enhance marine aquaculture in accordance with aquatic processing, logistics and aquatic infrastructure development, promote the development of seaweed, sea cucumber and ornamental organisms and launch effective and sustainable exploitation of lobster varieties. 

The plan aims to foster marine aquaculture development in harmonization with marine services and eco-tourism, petrol, wind power and processing industry at southern coastal localities from Ba Ria-Vung Tau to Kien Giang. 

Key offshore farming areas will be formed in such localities as Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Quang Ngai, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ca Mau, Kien Giang and other areas with favorable natural conditions.  

Viet Nam’s exports of aquatic products are expected to reach US$9 billion in 2021, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Despite complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country earned US$4.88 billion from aquatic product exports in the first seven months of 2021, representing a year-on-year rise of 11 percent./.

By Thuy Dung