NINH THUẬN  The south-central province of Ninh Thuận expects to produce 33-35 billion shrimp fry this year against 31 billion last year, the province’s Fisheries Seed Producers Association said.

The fry, mostly of black-tiger shrimp and white-legged shrimp, are sold in the province and all over the country, according to Lê Văn Quê, its chairman.

There are around 450 household-scale establishments and 1,200 farms in the province producing shrimp seeds, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

They also use advanced techniques to produce high-quality fry, according to the province’s Fishery Sub-department.

Nguyễn Khắc Lâm, deputy director of the department, said the province is one of Việt  Nam's largest shrimp fry producers and supplies for 30 per cent of the country's needs.

It seeks to become a high-quality producer and has created two zones for concentrated fry breeding areas in Ninh Phước District’s An Hải Commune and Ninh Hải District’s Nhơn Hải Commune.

The An Hải concentrated fishery seed producing area spreads over 125ha and has good infrastructure. It has attracted 100 Vietnamese and foreign companies who have invested in producing high-quality fry.

The other, Nhơn Hải, is 100ha in size and produces 45-55 per cent of the province’s shrimp fry output.

The department has built a modern centre for testing the quality of the fry before they are sold, and said it not only helps manage the quality but also safeguard the province’s reputation.

It would carefully monitor the quality and cancel the licences of producers in case of low quality, it said.

Shrimp fry are one of Ninh Thuận’s 12 specialty products.

The province possesses natural advantages such as clean seawater and suitable water temperature and salinity rate for the production of shrimp fry.

Besides, shrimp fry farmers have long experience in breeding the creatures and accumulated considerable expertise.

They also use advanced techniques to produce high-quality fry, according to the province’s Fishery Sub-department.

According to Dư Ngọc Tân, its deputy head, the one shortcoming is that the province has to import most breeding stock of white-legged shrimp from other countries, meaning their quality is not consistent.

Besides, the number of breeding black-tiger shrimp caught in the wild is very low and their quality is not consistent either.

To address this problem, the province should create infrastructure in concentrated fry producing areas to attract companies that breed shrimp, he said.

A province resolution for developing its marine economy in 2016-20 seeks the breeding of more than 36 billion fish fry next year, 85 per cent of it shrimp. — VNS