HCM City (VNA) – There is roomfor the development of Vietnam’s shrimp sector thanks to favourable farming conditionsand increasing global demand, heard a conference held in Ho Chi Minh City onAugust 23.

At the event entitled “Global shrimp demand and Vietnam’s supply capacity to2025”, experts stressed the industry still faces challenges.

Ho Quang Luc, former Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exportersand Producers (VASEP), noted that Vietnam has a large area of 700,000 hectaresfor shrimp farming.

“Due to favourable weather, Vietnamesefarmers can raise shrimp all year round,” he said, adding that local farmers’skills exceed the global average.

The country also has great processingpotential, with nearly 100 shrimp processing factories, generating about500,000 tonnes of products every year, he added.

Despite its potential and support from theGovernment and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), shrimpfarmers still face poor infrastructure, low-quality shrimp breeders and highfarming costs, among others.

“It is necessary to have a detailed farmingplan, adequate investment in infrastructure, a national parent-shrimpproduction programme, and strict control of the shrimp supply system,” he recommended.

Hoang Tung, an expert at the CommonwealthScientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia, addressedissues surrounding the Government plan that targets all steps of the valuechain and an export turnover target of 10 billion USD in 2025.

He said the government should placeemphasis on higher-quality inputs, improvement of farming and harvesting, andinnovative business models. This would ensure higher productivity, lowerproduction costs and increased domestic consumption, he said.

Tung hoped that the Lower MekongInitiative, which aims to transform the livelihoods of 10,000 households viamore sustainable shrimp farming between 2019 and 2029, will be carried outefficiently.

The initiative is a collaborative projectbetween CSIRO, MARD and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Experts at the conference also spoke about theworld shrimp market and the gap in supply and demand, consumption trends, competitivenessof Vietnamese shrimp in the EU market, and analysis of export competitors.-VNA