Within the framework of the Improving Coastal Livelihoods through Sustainable Aquaculture Practices project funded by the EC, MCD worked with localities to demonstrate sustainable oyster farming models in Giao Xuan commune in Giao Thuy district in Nam Dinh province and black tiger shrimp and tilapia farming models in Nam Phu commune in Tien Hai district in Thai Binh province.
The conference provides general information about the Vietnamese seafood market and seafood production and trading in different localities.
Endowed with a large alluvial area, Giao Thuy district has the huge potential for aquaculture development, and it is well suited for oysters breeding. The district has a flooded area that has been recognized as a world biosphere reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Government of Vietnam decided to establish the Xuan Thuy National Park to protect the biodiversity in the region.
Tran Dai Nghia from the Giao Thuy district department of agriculture and rural development said that since the district peoples committee constructed a seafood development plan to 2010 and issued a regulation on coastal water territories for invertebrate farming in 2004, oysters farming in the district has increased significantly in terms of both quality and quantity, and it has created a large number of jobs. Many households in the district got rich by farming oysters, he added.
However, oyster farming still has a number of problems. The overuse of the alluvial area affected the ecological balance, and the decreased ecological balance resulted in lower productivity and product quality. Breeds development, and seafood farming and sales had a loose connection, while market and breed-related difficulties existed. The Giao Thuy district peoples committee many times sent its people to foreign countries for market survey. With assistance of the Vietnamese consulate in Kunming in China, the peoples committee sent its people to Yunnan province in China to learn about the market there.
Oyster farmers in the district found ways to increase sales to big cities nationwide and they were successful in finding buyers in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, the central region and many more other localities. They used advanced technology to clean oysters before selling the products to customers and they sold more than 5,000 tonnes of oyster each year.
Last year, almost 3,000 tonnes of Giao Thuy oysters were exported to Europe after being processed in processing plants in Ben Tre province and the city of Vung Tau in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.
The district peoples committee authorized a business to construct Giao Thuy Oyster Brand. This brand has been certified by the National Office for Intellectual Property (NOIP). The district now has a website to introduce about its oyster products. The EU has recognized Giao Thuy oysters as a grade-B safe food product since 2004. About 44.3 percent of all commercial oysters farmed in northern Vietnam are bred in Nam Dinh province.
Nguyen Van Cuu from the Giao Xuan sustainable oyster farming cooperative said that the cooperative was established on February 26, 2009 with the MCDs assistance and the agreement and relevant parties. The cooperative constructed a regulation to manage oyster farming activities in Giao Xuan commune, he said. It has monthly meetings, at which plans for the next month are made and oyster farmers can share experiences, Cuu said. It also has ad hoc meetings if necessary, he said. The cooperative exists to create a joint strength in sustainable oyster farming development that pertains to environment protection, Cuu said.
According to the cooperatives regulation, each farming quarter is 0.5 hectare or more in area and the distance between one farming quarter and another is two meters. Also according the regulation, there is a four-meter-wide main road that goes around a 15-meter-wide channel in the communes oyster farming area. Oyster farmers must satisfy the regulation that says each kilo of breeds contains no more than 600,000 breeds and no more than 5,000 breeds are to be stocked into each square meter of water surface. Cooperative members discuss to make detailed plans for every farming crop, and this has helped them reach effective oyster farming.
MCD introduced a model in which tilapia and black tiger shrimp are farmed on the same area in Nam Phu in Thai Binh province.
Seafood farmers in different localities would like relevant authorities to take consistent measures to form a stable market for their seafood products.