Aquaculture area shrink in 2009

Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has
announced plans to reduce the nation's total aquaculture acreage by 35,000 ha to
1.06 million ha, which will cut Vietnam 's estimated production of aquatic
products to 2.3 million tonnes per year.

Vice head of MARD's Aquaculture Department, Bui Duc Quy explained that the move is
prompted by a fall in global demand for shrimp due to the current global economic
crisis. Several traditional markets for Vietnamese shrimp, such as the US and
Japan , have temporarily cut shrimp imports and the price of shrimp in the
domestic market has fallen to its lowest level for ten years.

MARD has requested that localities strictly enforce and abide by regulations
governing facilities, environmental hygiene, and the quality of breeding stock.

Local authorities must ensure that knowledge of up-to-date aquaculture techniques
and methods of disease prevention are made available to shrimp farmers.

Moreover, they must also manage and monitor the quality of feed and the use of
chemicals at breeding farms across the nation.-Enditem