Strengthening linkages in lobster production and consumption

Linking in producting, purchasing and exporting lobsters in association with traceability for official export is an appropriate step to contribute to the sustainable development of commercial lobster farming.

Deploying the chain of lobster farming, up to now, in the province, there have been 3 cooperative groups and professional associations in Van Ninh district participating in the supply chain of safely farmed lobsters according to VietGAP standards. Tran Minh Hien - leader of the professional association of cage lobster farming in Khai Luong village (Van Thanh commune, Van Ninh district) shared, “Currently, our association has 20 farming households participating in the linkage chain, each supplying businesses with 31.5 tons of lobsters that meet VietGAP standards. The lobsters are purchased by 2 enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City and Cam Ranh at a higher price than the market thanks to quality assurance and traceability to serve official export. Currently, a number of neighboring farming households have also proposed to join the association to link production and consumption.”

Lobsters in Van Ninh district

In addition to this link chain, in Van Ninh district, there are two other linkage chains including the aquaculture cooperative group in Van Hung commune has 20 farming households, supplying the market with 29.9 tons of lobsters each year; Aquaculture professional association in Ninh Tan village (Van Thanh commune) has 15 large-scale farming households, supplying 128 tons of shrimp meat to the market each year. Commercial shrimp of farming households are purchased by enterprises to serve official export to the Chinese market.

Le Van Hoan - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said: “The establishment of a number of VietGAP certified aquaculture areas initially meets the requirements of export enterprises and import markets; creating spillover effect for other farming areas in the province. However, the size of these groups is still limited compared to the area and output of the whole province. Recently, the department has proposed to the Institute of Economics and Fisheries Planning (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) on building a linkage model in lobster production and consumption in the province. In which, the department proposed 5 cooperatives, cooperative groups, and professional associations for lobster farming in Van Ninh district; 3 lobster farming cooperatives in Cam Ranh; 6 groups of lobster farming in Nha Trang to build a chain of links”.

In order to successfully build linkage models, the fishery will support stakeholders involved in the chain to access supportive policies; guiding the transfer of scientific and technological advances in aquaculture; well implementing the planning of concentrated aquaculture areas to develop raw material areas; creating favorable conditions for purchasing and exporting units to connect with lobster farmers in the province...

HAI LANG

Translated by T.T