Shrimp larvae quantity and quality: No quarantine rule for input shrimp seeds - An inconsistency!

Ben Tre imports 80% of the seedstock.

Ben Tre is a province with a large area for aquaculture, ranking 5th in the country and the Mekong Delta (after Ca Mau, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu, and Soc Trang), with a potential area of 50.000 hectares. In 2024, Ben Tre province's aquaculture area reached 47.8 thousand hectares, with over 36.3 thousand hectares dedicated to brackish water shrimp farming.

Based on estimates, the annual demand for shrimp seeds in Ben Tre province is approximately 8-9 billion post. However, local production only satisfies about 20% of this demand.

Mrs. Tran Kim Cuong, Head of the Aquaculture Management Department at the Ben Tre Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection Sub-Department, shared that the province currently has 55 facilities producing shrimp fry, with three large-scale companies operating in the area. Among them, Viet-Uc Company – Ben Tre branch is the only one certified for high-tech shrimp breeding production.

"Each year, large companies like CP and Viet-Uc produce around 2 billion post. The remaining production facilities can only manage about 20 million post. In order to meet the demand from local farmers, many dealers have to import shrimp fry from other provinces", said Mrs. Kim Cuong.

As a result, about 80% of the shrimp fry used by Ben Tre's farmers comes from various suppliers located outside the province. However, according to the veterinary and livestock sector, which is responsible for shrimp fry quarantine, there is currently no regulation requiring quarantine for shrimp fry entering the province, only regulations for shrimp fry leaving the province. As such, the responsibility for ensuring disease control largely relies on the quarantine efforts undertaken in neighboring provinces. In order to establish a quarantine system for shrimp fry entering the province, it will be necessary to form an inter-agency inspection team.

"The veterinary sector's action program does collect samples of shrimp entering the province, but it only conducts random checks on a small portion, so it can't guarantee complete control. It's difficult now because there are no regulations requiring shrimp transport trucks to stop at quarantine stations. Instead, they go directly to the farming areas to release the fry, so checks depend on who they can contact. Sometimes, checks can only happen during inter-agency inspection trips when the vehicles are stopped for inspection", said Ms. Lien, an officer at the Ben Tre Sub-Department of Livestock and Veterinary Affairs.

In the more than 162.000 tons of brackish water shrimp harvested by farmers last year, white-legged shrimp accounted for the majority. Data from the first 11 months of 2024 shows that white-legged shrimp made up over 96% of the total production, despite the farming area being just nearly 13.000 hectares, which accounts for only 35.6%.

However, according to Ms. Lien, disease control at shrimp seed production facilities is carried out with very strict procedures. This is because if the parent shrimp are infected, the hatcheries will not have enough seedstock to sell. In addition to ensuring disease-free shrimp seed, farmers are also concerned with other quality factors. For example, they look at the number of times the parent shrimp reproduce, and whether antibiotics or other substances have been used to control diseases.

"Seedstock from the second, third or fourth spawning of parent shrimp are of very good quality. However, the first batch and those from later spawnings are often of inconsistent quality. If a hatchery breeds more to save costs, and mixes these seedstock with healthy, strong ones to reduce the price and sell them cheaply, farmers may be affected. However, professional shrimp farms do not do this; it is possible that middlemen mix them to make a profit", Ms. Lien explained.

Additionally, every year, the Ben Tre Sub-Department of Livestock and Veterinary Affairs organizes training sessions for aquaculture farmers, particularly those raising shrimp in the three coastal districts. During these sessions, experts guide and exchange knowledge with farmers on how to select disease-free shrimp fry, how to identify and handle pathogens and shrimp diseases, and how to manage the farming environment effectively.

In practice, many large shrimp farm owners have taken the initiative to develop and establish their own technical farming procedures. On the other hand, small-scale farms often still heavily rely on dealers. A dealer typically catches shrimp fry and distributes them to numerous households. Besides supplying fry, dealers also provide feed and medications for treating diseases. Usually, these dealers have a team of skilled engineers with expertise in the field who offer advice on disease control and guide farmers on best farming practices.

Proactively testing before stocking

At present, in order to minimize risks as much as possible, local residents have invested in shrimp farming using super-intensive farming models that apply advanced technologies. These models utilize various technologies to effectively control diseases, address pathogens in a timely manner, and maintain strict farming processes, leading to a high success rate in shrimp farming.

This approach is also in line with the strategic direction set by the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee since the beginning of the 2020-2025 term of the 11th Provincial Party Congress. The goal is to have 4.000 hectares of high-tech shrimp farming by the end of 2025. As of now, this plan has already reached 90.8% of its target, with productivity varying from 60-70 tons per hectare of farming area.

According to the monitoring results from the Ben Tre Sub-Department of Livestock and Veterinary Affairs, there are almost always samples testing positive for pathogens in shrimp. The official data recorded by the relevant authorities shows that, in the first 11 months of 2024, the area of white-legged shrimp affected by common diseases such as white spot syndrome and hepatopancreatic necrosis reached 749 hectares.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Nhu, from Bao Thanh Commune, Ba Tri District, Ben Tre Province, has 18 hectares of high-tech shrimp farming with tarpaulin-lined ponds and covered roofs, with an investment of 48.000 USD per hectare. Thanks to his well-invested and systematic model, along with effective disease control, his success rate is high. Last year, he harvested over 400 tons of white-legged shrimp, generating a revenue of over 1.6 million USD.

He was honored as a national-level outstanding farmer in production and business. According to Mr. Nhu, two newly emerged and highly dangerous diseases, EHP (slow-growing shrimp) and TPD (glass shrimp), are causing great concern. In addition, he emphasized the importance of managing water sources effectively, as pathogens from the environment can also lead to significant damage if not properly controlled.

"I always choose reputable companies in the market, such as Tuan Ha, CP, and Thang Long. Last year, I farmed a batch of shrimp from Thăng Long Company, and it turned out very well. I was able to achieve a size of 26 shrimp per kilogram and sold them for 10 USD per kilogram. I also send the shrimp samples I intend to raise to the Aquaculture Institute II in Ho Chi Minh City for testing. Only if the results are disease-free do I proceed with stocking. Without the test, farming would be very risky", Mr. Nhu said.

To improve the success rate of shrimp farming, farmers in Ben Tre have actively taken the initiative to learn, invest in, and apply advanced techniques in their production. They no longer rely solely on sales advisors as they did in the past. As a result, they are steadily moving toward their goal of achieving 4.000 hectares of high-tech shrimp farming. With this progress, the value of shrimp production in Ben Tre is projected to reach 1 billion USD by 2025.