Bac Lieu targets national shrimp hub status

Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Luu Hoang Ly speaks at the event (Photo: VNA)

To become a "national shrimp industry hub" and focus on creating the "Bac Lieu clean shrimp" brand to develop a shrimp value chain, the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu has set developing hi-tech shrimp farming models as a primary direction.

The information was released by Luu Hoang Ly, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, at a working session with a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development led by Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien on February 22.

Ly informed his guests that Bac Lieu's aquatic cultivation sprawled across more than 136,000ha, with shrimp farming dominating nearly 133,000ha. Notably, the export volume of aquatic products reached nearly 96,900 tonnes, exceeding the plan by 2% and marking a 17% annual uptick. The export revenue surpassed 1 billion USD, registering a commendable 17% increase.

Bac Lieu has three major exports, including shrimp, rice and salt. Among them, shrimp is the biggest foreign currency earner, constituting over 95% of the province's export turnover. The locality aims to earn 1.3 billion USD from shrimp export by 2025 and 1.7 billion USD by 2030.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Responding to concerns over IUU fishing, local authorities reported that there have been no signs of preparations to send ships or fishermen for illegal fishing activities in foreign waters detected in the province.

In his closing remarks, Deputy Minister Tien lauded Bac Lieu for achieving and surpassing 18 out of 21 socio-economic development targets for 2023. With a growth rate of 7.24%, it ranked fifth in the Mekong Delta and 24th nationwide.

He suggested the province consider improving shrimp fry production a top priority. Accordingly, there should be a concerted effort to enhance sci-tech application in aquaculture to increase productivity and quality, aiming to build brand for each product./.