The S.6 Investment Joint Stock Company’s hi-tech shrimp fry farm in Ninh Thuận Province’s Ninh Hải District. – VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Thành

NINH THUẬN – The south-central province of Ninh Thuận plans to become a national hub for producing high-quality shrimp fry with an annual output of 50 billion of them by 2025.

It now has 425 establishments that are expected produce more than 40 billion fry this year.

With a coastline of 105km and clean coastal waters, the province has great potential for developing its marine economy, especially aquatic seeds, and is the country’s largest shrimp fry producer.

The number of establishments farming shrimp fry has steadily increased, and now the province meets more than 35 per cent of the country’s demand, the local Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said.

But the fry is sold mostly to the southern region.

Nguyễn Khắc Lâm, deputy director of the department, said to monitor quality the Fisheries Sub-department has strengthened oversight of fry producing establishments.

It has issued licences to 415 of them and all their fry is checked for quality and quarantined before being sold to other provinces, he said.

When the province produces 50 billion fry a year in 2025, it also aims to ensure all establishments are inspected for disease safety.

It is focusing on developing infrastructure in hi-tech aquaculture areas in Ninh Phước and Thuận Nam districts.

Besides shrimp fry, the province is also focusing on farming high-quality and disease-free adult shrimp for producing fry.

It hopes the number of white-legged shrimp farmed for the purpose will meet 30 per cent of the province demand and black-tiger shrimp will meet 40 per cent of demand.

It has two companies, Moana Ninh Thuận Co., Ltd and Việt Úc-Phước Dinh Co., Ltd, which produce disease-free adult shrimp for producing fry.

Lê Huyền, deputy chairman of the Ninh Thuận People’s Committee, said the province has encouraged companies and individuals to invest in advanced techniques for producing fry.

It provides them with advanced techniques to produce high-quality fry, he said.

The People’s Committee is setting up collective wastewater treatment systems for shrimp fry farms and encourages producers to invest in modern facilities for checking quality, he said.

It plans to strengthen marketing to promote its shrimp fry across the country, he said.

It has petitioned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Directorate of Fisheries to help expand environmental monitoring sites in the Nhơn Hải concentrated shrimp fry producing area in Ninh Hải District, which accounts for more than 60 per cent of fry farming. – VNS