Long-term scenarios needed to respond to natural disasters

Many businesses and fishermen left empty-handed after the storm. Photo: VASEP

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the recent storm No. 3 caused an estimated loss of VND2,500 billion in the aquaculture sector – a very large number. Currently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is implementing technical measures to restore the aquaculture system affected by the storm.

Speaking to the press on September 20, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said: “The Ministry will have a meeting with the Department of Fisheries, businesses, industry associations... Thereby, mobilizing resources on breeds, feed, chemicals, cages... to support localities, especially Quang Ninh and Hai Phong, to soon restore production, so that the production cycle can meet the demand for food supply before, during and after Tet holiday”.

Storm No. 3 swept through Cat Ba fishing village (Hai Phong city)

According to the Deputy Minister, the fisheries industry must access new, modern, large-scale, and closed-chain technologies to avoid incidents like the recent storm No. 3.

From the lessons learned after the storm, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development suggested that there should be a plan to establish an emergency support fund for fishermen and aquaculture farmers.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien

“Previously, there was a fund for developing the Vietnamese seafood export market, but under the new regulations, it cannot exist. We will discuss and exchange with associations to build a fund to support natural disaster prevention, export support and production development,” Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien emphasized.

Besides financial support, raising awareness and skills for people in responding to natural disasters is also essential.

After the storm, many fish raft owners in Van Don island district (Quang Ninh province) were left empty-handed. Photo: LAN ANH

According to Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, over the past years, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has assigned the Department of Fisheries to coordinate with associations such as the Vietnam Fisheries Association, the Vietnam Seafarming Association... to provide many training courses on skills and techniques to respond to incidents.

Along with that, the Deputy Minister said that science and technology is one of the important solutions to limit the risks of the fisheries industry in the face of natural disasters. However, currently, investment in research and transfer of science and technology is still very limited.

VAN PHUC

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/can-kich-ban-dai-han-de-ung-pho-thien-tai-post759926.html