Nghe An does not have any businesses strong enough to export shrimp.

Shrimp productivity in Nghe An has areas farming according to VietGAP process reaching from 10 - 12 tons/ha/year. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Hoang Xuan Tin in Quynh Bang commune, Quynh Luu district has nearly 7 hectares of shrimp ponds, supplying the market with dozens of tons of commercial shrimp, ranging from 70 to 100 shrimp/kg each year. Mr. Tin said: All shrimp are purchased by traders from Thanh Hoa, Thai Binh, and Hai Phong provinces; while traders in the province often offer lower purchase prices, so it is difficult for them to buy shrimp.

Mr. Bui Xuan Truc - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quynh Luu district said: In the district, there are more than 460 hectares of shrimp farming, of which 105 hectares are raised according to VietGAP process. However, up to now, households have raised and taken care of the output themselves. Traders mainly come to the pond to buy, there is no chain link to consume the products.

According to Mr. Truc, for shrimp farming to develop sustainably and stably, it is necessary for large enterprises in the province to invest and link together in the chain.

Most of Nghe An's shrimp is sold to traders outside the province. Photo: Xuan Hoang

In Dien Chau district, there are 330 hectares of shrimp farming ponds. In recent years, shrimp farmers in the district have boldly invested in applying new shrimp farming technology, so productivity is high; reaching an average of 5 tons/ha, the annual commercial shrimp output is estimated at 1,600 tons.

According to Mr. Le The Hieu - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dien Chau district, about 80% of the shrimp produced in the area is purchased by companies from other provinces for export; the remaining 20% ​​of the shrimp is imported for restaurants and hotels in the province.

In recent years, aquaculture in the province has made significant progress, especially in brackish and saltwater shrimp farming. The shrimp farming area has increased every year, now reaching 1,500 hectares; the total shrimp output each year reaches nearly 7,000 tons.

However, according to the assessment of the Department of Fisheries, the consumption of farmed shrimp is in a passive state, there is no connection between farmers and businesses, buyers and sellers mainly go through intermediaries.

Shrimp farming area of ​​the whole province. Graphics: Huu Quan

Shrimp farmers believe that in order for shrimp farming to develop and achieve higher economic efficiency, the province needs to have a shrimp processing enterprise with sufficient capacity to export and build the Nghe An shrimp brand to have the conditions to export abroad.

At the same time, the authorities need to strengthen trade promotion and advertise the brand of Nghe An's seafood products through information channels, media, exhibitions, seafood fairs, focusing on major export markets... In particular, strengthen the link between seed producers, farmers and businesses that purchase, process and export shrimp.

Mr. Tran Huu Tien - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development also said that the seafood processing and export industry of Nghe An is developing slowly. Although there is Nghe An II Seafood Import-Export Joint Stock Company in the province, its capacity is not strong enough, so the purchasing and exporting stages are still limited. Therefore, out of the output of nearly 7,000 tons of shrimp/year, most of it is directly purchased by companies outside the province that have brands and then processed and exported to other countries. Therefore, the authorities cannot currently grasp the quantity of farmed shrimp exported from Nghe An.