Aquaculture to get major boost from first nation festival

Viet Nam’s first aquaculture festival will take place in the city of Can Tho from April 24-27.

With 20 main events, the festival will illustrate the theme “Vietnamese Aquaculture: Potential for Development and Integration.”

“This is a major socio-economic and cultural event to honour the values and contributions of this industry to the Vietnamese economy,” said To Minh Gioi, vice chairman of Can Tho City People’s Committee and organiser of the event.

It will be a celebration for aquafarmers, fishermen, scientists, businessmen and aquaculture enterprises, as well as a major attraction for tourists in Can Tho and the whole of the Mekong Delta. It will demonstrate the power and potential of Vietnamese aquaculture in creating an internationally recognised trademark in the future.

Gioi said that the festival would begin around the same time as the inauguration of Can Tho Bridge, the longest in Southeast Asia, over the River Hau. He also said that the festival’s main events would have tremendous cultural and economic values.

“The 2010 Vietnamese Aquaculture Fair will include a display of aquaproducts, new technology and prizes for individuals and enterprises that have made outstanding contributions to the development of Vietnamese aquaculture,” he said.

Festival organisers said that 200 enterprises from 25 provinces had registered for more than 350 booths to be on display during the festival.

Along with the festivities, forums will also be held with topics such as improving the quality of Vietnamese aquaculture products, integrating into international economy, and policy making to boost the development of aquaculture.

Luong Le Phuong, deputy minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that Vietnamese aquaculture still faced the challenge of increased international competition as a result of international integration.

“The festival’s forums will provide meaningful solutions to increase the competitiveness of Vietnamese aquaproducts,” he said.

Phuong’s ministry said that aquaproducts were one of Vietnam’s key products besides rice and vegetables. Vietnamese aquaculture benefits from the country’s 3,000-km shoreline and currently covers 1,110,000ha.

Annually, aquaculture is responsible for billions of dollars of the nation’s exports reaching US$4.3 billion in 2009. That figure is expected to exceed $4.5 billion in 2010. Aquaculture remains Viet Nam’s most promising and productive industries.

Viet Nam News

Tags: Vietnam agriculture, VIetnam Aquaculture