A farmer harvests giant river prawns in Kiên Giang Province’s U Minh Thượng District. – VNA/VNS Photo Lê Sen

KIÊN GIANG – The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Kiên Giang has expanded aquaculture this year.

Farmers there breed mostly shrimp, fish, mud crab, and bivalve molluscs in fresh and brackish water and the sea.

The aquaculture output topped 206,000 tonnes in the first eight months of the year, up 13 per cent from the same period last year, according to its Statistics Office, with shrimp accounting for more than 95,600 tonnes.

Quảng Trọng Thao, deputy director of the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said shrimp is farmed on more than 142,000ha using various models like industrial, semi-industrial, extensive and advanced extensive, and shrimp-rice farming.

The province has reorganised aquaculture, especially shrimp farming, towards developing value chains, he said.

It has established linkages between co-operatives, co-operative groups and companies to develop value chains, helping improve competitiveness, ensure origin traceability, protect the environment, and adapt to climate change.

The province is developing models that comply with Vietnamese good agricultural practices (VietGAP), organic and several international standards.

It has invested in irrigation, power and transport systems to serve aquaculture production in the Long Xuyên Quadrangle and U Minh Thượng area.

It targets growing aquaculture at 5 per cent a year from now through 2030 with output reaching 484,780 tonnes in 2030.

With a coastline of more than 200km and 143 islands, the province is well equipped for aquaculture, including farming of bivalve molluscs and marine caged aquaculture.

It is rarely affected by storms and its seas are of moderate depth, both big advantages in marine aquaculture.

The province with the largest number of floating cages -- 3,600 -- at sea in the delta for breeding fish and other species had an output of 3,000 tonnes last year.

The province People’s Council has approved a project for sustainable aquaculture development on an area of 5,500ha in Hòn Đất District in 2023-26.

It will cost VNĐ624 billion (US$26.6 million) and require building infrastructure like irrigation works, roads and power supply systems.

It will also implement livelihood models such as shrimp-rice farming and breeding of giant river prawns and other aquatic species. – VNS