Thai Nguyen supports 15 concentrated fishery commodity production zones

Thai Nguyen has great potential for aquaculture development with nearly 7,200ha of water surface and 12,000ha of rivers and streams.

In recent years, improving the quality of aquatic breeds has been a focus for the provincial specializing agencies in their plans to promptly meet market demands inside and outside the province. The Nui Coc Fisheries Enterprise is one of the province’s four large units assigned to supply traditional fish breeds for farmers in the area.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Loan, a breeder from Viet Quang town (Ha Giang province) traveled more than 200km since early morning to be present at Nui Coc Fisheries Enterprise to buy breeds for her fish farming. Loan said she has been buying breeds from here for more than 10 years, mainly traditional varieties such as grass carp, Eurasian carp, and tilapia.

Previously, she bought breeds from some private outlets but the quality was not guaranteed. But since changing to buy them from Nui Coc Fisheries Enterprise, the farming is much more effective as the breed is healthy, quickly growing, and has been favored by the market thus bringing stable economic efficiency to her family.

Another breeder, Mr. Dam Van Yen from Hung Son town, Dai Tu district has been a loyal customer of Nui Coc Enterprise for many years. Yen said his household has about 500m2 of ponds so he buys breeds every year from the enterprise at a good price. The breed quality is also stable and has high resistance against diseases.

Nui Coc Fisheries Enterprise has a total area of about 14ha. Each year, it supplies an average of 100 tons of all kinds of meat fish and 20 million fingerlings to the market. Currently, the enterprise is focusing mainly on breeding hybrid carps, tilapia, and some other traditional aquatic species to provide for markets inside and outside the province.

Mr. Nguyen Van Trung, Director of Nui Coc Fisheries Enterprise, said that to improve the quality of aquatic breeds, every year the Enterprise has set up short and long-term strategic plans.

In particular, the unit regularly cooperates with the Research Institute of Aquaculture 1 and the National Seed Center to purchase parent breeds meeting standards prescribed by the Fisheries Industry. The enterprise also promotes applying scientific advances in breed production to improve the product quality creating a brand name and maintaining its reputation among customers.

According to the Thai Nguyen Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the province’s fishery production value in the past year reached over VND515 billion, about a 6.5% increase over the previous year.

Mr. Do Dinh Trung, Deputy Director of Thai Nguyen Province's Sub-Department of Animal Husbandry, Veterinary, and Fisheries, said that to promote the most potential for aquaculture, in the coming time, the province will support 15 commodity seafood concentrated production areas under the model of cooperative groups and cooperatives. Specifically, the province will provide high-quality fingerlings for breeders including about 60,000 hybrid carp and 408,000 imported tilapia with financial support not exceeding VND80 million for each group of cooperatives or a cooperative.

In addition, the Sub-department also regularly performs environmental monitoring and forecasting for aquaculture at 5 points of the main water sources of Nui Coc main canal, Phu Binh district canal, a concentrated aquaculture area, a breed production zone in Phu Binh district, and a concentrated fish farming cage in Nui Coc Lake. It also promotes training for fisheries and aquaculture staff, organizations, and individuals in the province.

In 2022, Thai Nguyen strives to achieve a fishery output of 17,000 tons, an increase of over 820 tons compared to the previous year. To achieve this goal, the agricultural sector has encouraged farmers to increase their ​​intensive farming areas and boost growing varieties with high yield and economic value. At the same time, it has created favorable conditions for farmers, enterprises, cooperatives, and cooperative groups to develop concentrated aquaculture areas and to invest in fish growing cages on reservoirs.