As Tet approaches, the price of commercial shrimp in Nghe An province has surged dramatically.

In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year, many brackish water shrimp farmers in Nghe An province are harvesting their winter crop, supplying fresh seafood to the market. Due to increased demand, the price of commercial shrimp has risen significantly compared to other times of the year.

Mr. Nguyen Cuong's family in Hamlet 2, Dien Trung Commune (Dien Chau District) owns 6 hectares of brackish water shrimp ponds. Due to their investment in high-tech shrimp farming, they achieve high yields annually, especially with the third shrimp crop always being successful.

Mr. Cuong said that the demand for commercial shrimp is high every year during the Lunar New Year, so he invested in raising shrimp for the third crop on his 3-hectare pond. During this Tet holiday, his family sold over 5 tons of commercial shrimp. Prices during this pre-Tet period are significantly higher than in the middle months of the year; shrimp of 35 pieces/kg are priced at 300,000 VND/kg, 40 pieces/kg at 270,000 VND/kg, and 50 pieces/kg at 250,000 VND/kg. These prices represent an increase of 30,000-40,000 VND/kg compared to normal days.

"Currently, there are about 30 tons of marketable shrimp remaining in the ponds, which will be sold in January, when the price will be even higher. Based on experience from previous years, shrimp prices increase significantly after Tet (Lunar New Year) due to scarce supply and strong market demand. Therefore, every year, our family plans the timing of stocking, caring for, and harvesting shrimp to coincide with the period leading up to Tet and the beginning of the year," Mr. Cuong explained.

In some communes of Quynh Bang and Quynh Luong (Quynh Luu district); and Quynh Xuan ward (Hoang Mai town), some shrimp farming facilities applying technology are also harvesting their shrimp to sell during Tet.

Mr. Ho Dang Tam, Director of Quynh Bang General Agricultural Cooperative, said: "In the commune, there are more than 115 hectares of shrimp ponds, of which about 15 hectares are used for winter farming. During this end-of-year period, leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), farmers harvested about 17 tons of commercial shrimp. As in previous years, due to the high demand for fresh seafood, the price of shrimp has increased dramatically, from 270,000 VND to 300,000 VND/kg (for shrimp weighing 35-35 pieces/kg)."

Quynh Luu district has over 500 hectares of shrimp ponds, but most are used for the main crop. Because shrimp farming areas that haven't adopted technology struggle to successfully cultivate a third crop, shrimp production is low towards the end of the year, while the demand for fresh shrimp remains high. Therefore, households that invest in technology will earn higher incomes, as shrimp prices during Tet (Lunar New Year) are significantly higher than usual.

Currently, there are 70 establishments in the province applying advanced and high-tech shrimp farming models, suitable for multi-stage shrimp farming, covering an area of ​​121 hectares. These ponds are used for year-round shrimp farming, yielding high productivity.

Mr. Le Van Huong, Deputy Head of the Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection Department, stated that: Investing in high-tech shrimp farming, which is not dependent on weather conditions, allows for 5-6 harvests per year, with a yield of 15-20 tons/ha. Therefore, applying high technology to shrimp farming is essential to cope with climate change, environmental pollution, reduce input costs, and improve the quality of shrimp products.