Completing the green puzzle

To green the shrimp industry, the role of policy is extremely necessary, if not very important. Therefore, since 2021, the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) have issued documents directing and guiding the development of green aquaculture. Most recently, Decision No. 540/QD-TTg, dated June 19, 2024, approving the Project on Science and Technology Development and Application of Technology Transfer to Promote Circular Economy in Agriculture by 2030. Along with that are related projects such as: "Project on Improving Water Circulation Systems for Sustainable Aquaculture"; "Project on Promoting Sustainable Forest Management and Biodiversity Conservation in Vietnam"; "Project on Smart Coastal Communities Adapting to Climate Change in Vietnam"...

The technologies and equipment introduced and displayed at the Vietnam International Shrimp Industry Technology Exhibition 2025 help complete the puzzle for a green shrimp industry. Photo: TICH CHU

According to the representative of Minh Phu Seafood Joint Stock Company, to green the farming area, it is necessary to green the entire farming process chain, from breeds to biological products, food, environmental treatment agents... This has been and is being implemented by Minh Phu Company with quite positive initial results using the MPBio model of not cutting the eyes of parent shrimp, not using chlorine in water treatment, raising at low density... to ensure environmental carrying capacity. Mr. Ngo Tien Chuong from GIZ Organization proposed that, to create motivation to promote sustainable development of the aquaculture industry, there needs to be mechanisms and policies for public-private partnership (PPP).

One of the biggest challenges facing the shrimp industry on the path to greening today is how to solve the problem of costs and prices in shrimp farming. In recent years, although the shrimp industry has always had growth in both output and export turnover, the profits of farmers have increasingly shrunk, and many households have even suffered losses. There are many reasons, but according to farmers, the main ones come from the seed and environment. The seed quality is unstable, the farming environment is increasingly polluted, and along with that, the erratic weather causes diseases to arise, causing damage to farmed shrimp.

The shrimp farming industry in Vietnam is witnessing strong growth, with feed playing a key role in ensuring productivity, reducing production costs, maintaining shrimp health and protecting the environment. From live feed, industrial feed to environmentally friendly biological solutions, the shrimp feed industry is constantly innovating to meet the increasing demands of the market. However, according to the speakers, feed efficiency (FCR) is the important indicator to evaluate the success of a crop. This is a very important issue, because according to scientists, only about 26.4 - 30% of the total protein ingested is accumulated by shrimp for growth, the rest is used for living activities or discharged into the environment, causing pollution if not well managed. Leftover feed can increase Nitrogen (>60%) and Phosphorus (>85%) in the pond.

According to the representative of DeHeus Company, sustainable aquaculture includes many factors: environment, social responsibility, economy... Therefore, to reduce emissions in shrimp farming, it is necessary to pay attention to input factors right from the beginning, because according to research, these factors create up to 80% of emissions in the shrimp farming process. One of them is the source of protein from shrimp feed. Therefore, the important issue is to promote human resources, community development, knowledge transfer... to promote the development of the entire sustainable supply chain (solar power, electric forklifts, limiting the use of plastic packaging, managing the entire product process to reduce carbon emissions...).

How to reduce the risk of vibrio infection is a hot issue in the shrimp industry, because vibrio is very difficult to control because it appears in most of the environment in farming areas, causing a number of dangerous diseases that damage farmed shrimp. They have many different strains, even within a species there are some variations in the process of evolution and adaptation, so toxicity is also very unpredictable, difficult to distinguish from other species. Minerals are just a small piece in the pond ecosystem but play a very important role in the entire ecosystem, especially helping to improve the shrimp's immune system, promote metabolism... so the use of natural minerals will help manage the sustainable resource ecosystem, for the present and for the future.

Mr. Tran Cong Khoi - Head of the Department of Aquatic Breeding and Feed Management (Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Control) said that the presentations were carefully prepared to delve into the issues of the industry. The special point is that this time the presentations did not delve into technical details but into technology, especially digital transformation technology, biotechnology and other interconnected technologies. This can be said to be a very good preparation step to help complete the shrimp industry value chain from: feed breeds, farming process, farming technology, farming environment, diseases and processing. Hopefully, the links in the shrimp industry value chain will go together, go further in the coming period, bringing the shrimp industry to develop stably, effectively, sustainably, adapting to climate change and in line with the world's green development trend.

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Source: https://baosoctrang.org.vn/kinh-te/202504/hoan-thien-nhung-manh-ghep-xanh-c251a92/