Shrimp farming - 'eat each other' in breed!

(Baonghean) - In shrimp farming, one of the first factors that determines the effectiveness of the crop is the seed. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on strengthening the control of seed quality and to avoid seed shortage during the main crop, the agricultural sector and localities recommend that people release the seeds in batches, not in large quantities.

Native breed advantage

With a total shrimp farming area of ​​750 hectares/year, of which 450 hectares are in the first crop, each year the demand for shrimp seeds in Hoang Mai town is up to about 700 million/year. Head of the Economic Department of Hoang Mai town - Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thuy said: Shrimp seeds are imported from 5-7 specialized supply companies, people themselves contact and sign contracts with the units. Right before Tet, the province established an interdisciplinary team to coordinate with the locality to inspect the hygiene and safety conditions of the seed production facilities to issue certificates of eligibility for production, then throughout the season, the quarantine and veterinary forces regularly coordinate and check each batch and sample of shrimp to ensure the quality of the seed source supplied to the market.

Agricultural extension officers and farmers check the growth of shrimp. Photo: Viet Hung

However, due to a somewhat hasty mentality, farmers often concentrate on releasing shrimp within 1 month, even 1 week, so the phenomenon of local shortage of shrimp seeds still occurs, leading to some households having to buy floating seeds, of unknown origin from the southern provinces, so the quality of the seeds is not controlled, the ability to adapt poorly to the weather and climate conditions of the region. According to the assessment, if farmers release in batches, the source of seeds from production facilities in the province is capable of meeting the demand.

Mr. Nguyen Van Toan, in Hamlet 6, Dien Trung Commune (Dien Chau) said: Previously, he used to get shrimp breeds from other companies, even from the South, but in the past 2 years, he has switched to using shrimp breeds entirely from companies supplying in the province. Thanks to their good cold tolerance, disease resistance and fast growth rate, using "native" breeds for the third crop is very suitable, the selling price is always about 20% higher than other crops thanks to the harvest time close to Tet. Mr. Toan said that each year he earns a net profit of 700 million VND from shrimp farming.

In Quynh Luu district, the demand for white-leg shrimp seeds is up to nearly 600 million each year. In the area, there are 6 facilities producing seeds and raising them. Mr. Bui Xuan Truc - Deputy Head of the District's Agriculture Department affirmed that the number of seeds produced by units in the area is more than enough to meet the needs of shrimp farmers in the district. However, these hatcheries also signed contracts to supply seeds to both the Northern provinces and the North Central region, so there are many times when there is a "shortage" of seeds, especially during the peak release season, when people release too much at one time. Therefore, entering the first crop this year, one of the guiding measures that the district is interested in is to propagate and advise people in each region and each family to balance and spread out the release so that there is no shortage of seeds and it is easier to consume when harvesting.

Quynh Doi farmers release shrimp seeds for the first crop, 2017. Photo: Viet Hung

Strict management of seed sources

In previous years, shrimp breeds for shrimp farming areas in the province had to be mainly sourced from the Southern and South Central provinces. Long-distance transportation with high density not only affected the health of shrimp, the loss rate was high, it was very difficult to control pathogens, and it was impossible to quarantine them all. Many households also bought floating shrimp breeds of unknown origin to release, affecting the productivity and efficiency of the farming season, even causing losses. From incentive mechanisms and favorable conditions of suitable climate and weather, many businesses have entered the production and supply of shrimp breeds. Up to now, the number of shrimp breed production and breeding farms in the whole province has reached 64 farms, the production and breeding output of shrimp breeds is increasing, reaching over 2 billion/year, meeting over 60% of the demand for shrimp breeds in the area.

However, the supply of shrimp seeds in our province has not really met the demand. According to Mr. Nguyen Huu Tien - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, there is still a shortage of seed sources at many times, especially during concentrated release. The management of seed sources imported from other provinces is still difficult in the context of a "thin" monitoring force, many farming households are still subjective when importing seeds, especially households with small farming areas. Although the seed sources produced in the area have shown many positive signs compared to previous years, they still only meet more than half of the demand for seed sources in the area.

“In the coming time, the province will create favorable conditions for units and enterprises to invest in building on-site white-leg shrimp seed production facilities. At the same time, the agricultural sector will strengthen inspection and strict supervision of the quality of parent shrimp and juvenile shrimp before putting them into production and raising. At the same time, step up inspection and supervision of shrimp seed imported from other provinces…” - Mr. Nguyen Huu Tien added.

Phu Huong