The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is removing obstacles for the lobster export market.

On the morning of November 25th, in Nha Trang city, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in coordination with the People's Committee of Khanh Hoa province, organized an online forum on the current situation of supplying broodstock, feed, and materials for marine aquaculture; product traceability; and solutions for sustainable development of marine aquaculture in Vietnam.

According to a report by the Fisheries Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), Vietnam has over 1 million square kilometers of exclusive economic zone, while the area for marine aquaculture accounts for only about 20% of the total aquaculture area nationwide. In 2022, the area for marine aquaculture in Vietnam reached over 256,000 hectares, with a production of nearly 750,000 tons; in 2023, the production could reach nearly 800,000 tons.

The Aquaculture Forum was held in Khanh Hoa. — The Aquaculture Forum was held in Khanh Hoa .

Over the past period, the Government, the Prime Minister, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have issued many policies and programs to promote the development of marine aquaculture. As a result, some supporting components for the marine aquaculture industry have begun to take shape in Vietnam, such as infrastructure for seed production areas and concentrated farming areas; supporting industries (feed, farming equipment); processing industries; and market development.

At the forum, delegates representing aquaculture farmers, cooperatives, and businesses shared numerous difficulties and challenges in developing marine aquaculture; focusing on issues such as the lingering apprehension among aquaculture farmers regarding administrative procedures related to the environment and the still complex process of allocating sea areas.

While planning and plan implementation are slow, spontaneous and unplanned farming activities are still common, leading to environmental pollution and difficulties in product consumption…

Particularly since August, China has introduced new regulations that have hampered exports. Accordingly, China requires spiny lobsters to have clear proof of their farming process; and prohibits the use of broodstock harvested from the wild (the broodstock must be F2 generation).

Mr. Le Ben, Vice President of the Vietnam Aquaculture Association, believes that the story of the export bottleneck for spiny lobsters shows that the demands of the global market are increasingly high. Goods not only have to meet customer requirements regarding quality, food safety, and origin, but some markets are also moving towards requiring emission declarations, and products that emit large amounts of greenhouse gases will be subject to very high taxes.

Mr. Ben emphasized that if businesses do not prepare now, we will certainly be left out of the game.

According to Mr. Tran Dinh Luan, Director of the Fisheries Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, to solve the problem of developing sustainable marine aquaculture raw material areas, businesses need to build a close linkage chain with production cooperatives in which businesses handle product output, and aquaculture facilities (businesses, cooperatives, affiliated households, etc.) handle raw material production. Both sides must work together and monitor each other to ensure the quantity, quality of products, and traceability information.

In his concluding remarks at the conference, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien requested that the Ministry organize, guide, and supervise the implementation of tasks assigned by the Prime Minister in Decision 1664/QD-TTg dated October 4, 2021, approving the plan for the development of marine aquaculture until 2030, with a vision to 2045, by localities.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien delivered a speech at the Forum.

Regarding addressing difficulties in the lobster market, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien stated that while awaiting information and new registration forms from China, the Fisheries Department is coordinating with localities to guide and direct organizations and individuals participating in the lobster value chain to strictly comply with the regulations of the 2017 Fisheries Law.

Specifically, the conditions include aquaculture; confirmation of cage farming registration; licensing of aquaculture at sea; confirmation of the origin of aquatic species listed in the Appendix to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Animals and Plants, and endangered, rare, and precious aquatic species originating from aquaculture, for farmed spiny lobster.

After the Chinese side provides sufficient information and new registration forms, the organization will review, verify, and finalize the list of spiny lobster farming facilities exporting to China that meet Vietnamese and Chinese regulations, and then forward it to the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development for submission to the Chinese side.

Huong Giang (VOV1)

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