Success Story of Bac Lieu Shrimp Development Project

After three years of implementing the "Building Bac Lieu into a National Shrimp Center" project, the Bac Lieu shrimp industry has achieved many outstanding results.

The super-intensive shrimp farming model of Viet Uc (Bac Lieu) Seafood Corporation

In seed production, Bac Lieu is leading the Mekong Delta region in producing high-quality shrimp seeds with 360 shrimp seed production and trading facilities. Many companies have become well-branded thanks to the constantly improved quality of shrimp seeds, with high-quality shrimp seeds accounting for over 70% of total annual output.

The province’s shrimp output has always been among the top in the country. In 2023 alone, its shrimp output ranked first in the country with over 247,000 metric tons. Several sustainable and efficient production models, including intensive shrimp farming, semi-intensive shrimp farming, shrimp-rice farming, and shrimp-forest farming, have received high praise from both domestic and international organizations for their effectiveness. Notably, the super-high-tech intensive shrimp farming model has seen rapid and significant development compared to the initial phase of the project.

In shrimp processing, Bac Lieu province currently has 48 seafood processing factories with a combined design capacity of 294,000 tons a year. These facilities, equipped with synchronous modern production lines and processing technologies, meet quality standards and food hygiene and safety requirements in domestic and foreign markets. In 2023, the province’s shrimp export output reached 91,854 tons worth US$973.6 million.

A successful model

The economy of the rural district of Hoa Binh is agriculture and aquaculture. The district focuses on implementing consistent tasks and solutions and unlocking advantages in raising black tiger shrimp and white-leg shrimp in super-intensive, intensive and semi-intensive farming areas. The district sees the high-tech shrimp farming model as a core focus for development.

Speaking at the review conference on 3-year implementation of the “Building Bac Lieu into a national shrimp center” Project, Mr. Ho Van Linh, Chairman of the Hoa Binh People's Committee, said: In the past, the district seriously combined many different capital sources for infrastructure construction, including irrigation, transportation and power grid infrastructure for high-tech shrimp farming development. The Executive Board of the District Party Committee (12th term) issued Resolution 05-NQ/HU dated July 29, 2021 on “Agricultural development, focused on high-tech application and production cooperation for more effective shrimp and rice production in 2021 - 2025.” The District People's Committee issued Plan 140/KH-UBND dated December 21, 2021 to execute Resolution 05-NQ/HU and assigned specific tasks to each agency, communes and towns; regularly inspected and supervised the implementation of each agency, commune and town to achieve best outcomes. At the same time, the committee directed relevant bodies to work out specific action programs and plans, regularly and promptly synthesize and report difficulties and obstacles in agricultural development, particularly high-tech shrimp farming models.

To execute the project, the district planned the area south of National Highway 1A as a super-intensive, intensive, semi-intensive shrimp farming area and enhanced extensive shrimp farming. The locality concentrated on developing key species like black tiger shrimp, white-leg shrimp, sea crab and bivalve mollusk, with shrimp being a key product of the aquaculture sector (farmed according to high-tech ecological models combined with forest protection and development).

After three years of implementing the project, the shrimp industry has developed in both acreage and output, especially high-tech shrimp farming models. In 2021, Hoa Binh had 991.27 ha of high-tech shrimp farming (run by four companies and 177 households) with a total output of 15,500 tons. In 2023, the locality had 1,255 ha of high-tech shrimp farming and a shrimp output of 28,118 tons (four companies and 251 households).

The district also coordinated with provincial agencies to build a cooperative model for high-tech shrimp farming along the value chain. Currently, three cooperatives, namely Aquaculture Service Cooperative 30/4 - Vinh Hau commune, Vinh Thanh Cooperative - Vinh My A commune, and Bac Lieu High-Tech Shrimp Farming Cooperative - Vinh Hau A commune, are linking with the value chain of local and external export seafood processors to sell products. Two cooperatives are certified by ASC for 130 ha (Aquaculture Service Cooperative 30/4 and Bac Lieu High-Tech Shrimp Farming Cooperative).

Hoa Binh district has intensified outreach efforts to encourage households to adopt advanced shrimp farming technologies, such as Biofloc and circular systems, alongside VietGAP and GlobalGAP certifications. Additionally, the district has promoted the use of new technologies, including sensor technology and the Internet of Things (IoT), to remotely monitor environmental parameters such as temperature, salinity, soil acidity, and oxygen levels aiming to enhance productivity, economic efficiency, and environmental sustainability.

Despite existing difficulties, high-tech shrimp farming models in Hoa Binh district have developed stably to obtain better economic performance and contributed to aquaculture development and socioeconomic development at large.

By Nguyen Mai, Vietnam Business Forum