(HQ Online) - The development of marine aquaculture aims to reduce exploitation, protect aquatic resources, and build a sustainable aquaculture industry. To concretize this strategy, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 1664/QD-TTg approving the Marine Aquaculture Project to 2030, with a vision to 2045. The project aims to have a marine aquaculture area of 280,000 hectares by 2025, an output of 850,000 tons, and an export turnover of 0.8-1 billion USD. By 2030, the marine aquaculture area will reach 300,000 hectares, an output of 1.45 million tons, and an export turnover of 1.8-2 billion USD.
Awakening the potential of the marine economy
Speaking at the Conference on Sustainable Development of Marine Aquaculture - View from Quang Ninh held on April 1, affirming the importance of the marine aquaculture industry, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said that marine aquaculture is part of the overall 3 pillars of fisheries economic development, which are: reducing exploitation, increasing aquaculture and marine conservation... both creating harmony in the marine economy and protecting aquatic resources. "Sustainable and systematic marine aquaculture will help resolve conflicts between the marine aquaculture industry and marine tourism development, which is the strength of coastal localities, avoiding the story of 'wherever aquaculture goes, tourism retreats' and vice versa", Minister Le Minh Hoan emphasized.
As one of the three economic development locomotives of the Red River Delta, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Quang Ninh Province Nguyen Xuan Ky said that Quang Ninh is a successful locality in the transition from brown to green, leading the implementation of the national green growth strategy. Quang Ninh is also the first locality in the country to issue local standards on the use of floating materials in freshwater and saltwater aquaculture. By the end of 2023, the whole province had successfully converted 10 million styrofoam floats to environmentally friendly HDPE plastic floats; maintained a forest cover rate of over 55% and is the province with the largest mangrove forest area in the North.
According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Ky, the province's great advantage is to take advantage of the tourist market of over 20 million visitors each year for on-site consumption and export. Combining aquaculture towards the sea with high-tech, effective, sustainable seafood exploitation, associated with firmly ensuring national defense and security. Protecting aquatic resources and shifting the density of marine farming from the sea area of 3 nautical miles inwards to expand the marine farming area in accordance with the planning and carrying capacity of the environment.
"Quang Ninh commits to accompany in substance, creating all conditions regarding administrative procedures, land, meeting human resource needs, ensuring security, safety, an open, favorable, transparent investment and business environment... so that domestic and international investors can feel secure in investing in long-term and sustainable marine farming in Quang Ninh", the Secretary of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee pledged.
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Unlock the "golden ring"
Sharing her experience in marine aquaculture in Norway, Ms. Hilde Solbakken, Royal Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam, said that Vietnam and Norway are both countries with strengths in seafood exports, with Norway being the second largest and Vietnam the third largest. The most important thing is that the two countries are actively exchanging rather than competing in the market, bringing valuable opportunities to exchange experiences and learn from each other. Cooperation in marine aquaculture and seafood not only brings economic benefits to both countries but also strengthens the relationship between Vietnam and Norway.
“The development orientation of the aquaculture industry in Vietnam has many similarities with Norway. Therefore, Vietnam's adoption of the Strategy for Sustainable Development of Marine Aquaculture to 2030, with a vision to 2045 and Vietnam's long-term strategy to reduce exploitation intensity and strengthen marine aquaculture management is an inevitable path, an important step towards the green transition process, contributing to promoting increased export value and meeting the green standards of major markets,” Ms. Hilde Solbakken emphasized.
Previously, to develop the marine aquaculture industry, policy barriers were like a "golden ring" that tightened the dream of opening the sea for businesses. However, up to now, this "golden ring" is gradually being removed. According to Mr. Tran Van Bao, Director of Thang Loi Aquaculture Cooperative (Thang Loi island commune, Van Don, Quang Ninh), after a long time of waiting, marine aquaculture cooperatives are now somewhat reassured when Quang Ninh province promotes the settlement of procedures for environmental licensing, aquaculture licensing and sea area allocation.
At the conference, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) of Quang Ninh province signed a memorandum of understanding with 7 units to develop this field. Of which, there are 4 research institutes, including 3 research institutes on aquaculture (Research Institute of Aquaculture 1, Research Institute of Aquaculture 3, Institute of Marine Products) and 1 applied research institute (Mekong Institute of Science, Technology Application and Training). Three enterprises include a marine aquaculture technology research and development enterprise (Nam Mien Trung GROUP Corporation), a preliminary processing and processing enterprise (LENGER Vietnam Seafood Company Limited), a marine aquaculture enterprise (STP Group Corporation).
Immediately after the memorandum was completed, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quang Ninh province also organized the granting of aquaculture licenses and the allocation of marine areas to a number of enterprises and cooperatives in Quang Ninh province. Continuing to reform administrative procedures under the direction of the Government, the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province directed the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to carry out breakthrough administrative procedures. Accordingly, inter-sectoral guidelines were issued for environmental impact assessment, granting breakthrough licenses for marine aquaculture, and allocating marine areas for aquaculture. Thanks to that, in the first quarter of the past year, the whole province has organized the granting of licenses to 6 units.
| Previously, on March 31, in Van Don district, Quang Ninh province, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development coordinated with the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province to release more than 5 million aquatic seeds into the sea of Van Don district. Of the more than 5 million aquatic seeds released into the wild this time, there were 4.9 million tiger prawn seeds, the rest were sea bass, barramundi, American snapper and some other aquatic species. This fish release activity to regenerate aquatic resources affirms Vietnam's commitment and role with the international community in preserving, maintaining and balancing the marine ecosystem in the process of economic development, ensuring the harmony of people's livelihoods. |
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