New prospects for freshwater aquaculture

Hoa Hiep Ward has an aquaculture area of 347 hectares, with an output of 440 tons/year, concentrated in the downstream area of Ban Thach River, mainly raising white-leg shrimp. Since 2010, aquaculture has faced many difficulties such as: diseases, water pollution, climate change, poor quality seed sources, and high feed prices.

“To solve this problem, from 2024 up to now, the locality has planned farming areas in the Ngon River and Ban Thach River areas and converted from shrimp farming to other types of aquatic products such as: raising snails in sand ponds; raising monosex grouper and tilapia; intercropping crabs and shrimps, raising fish, crabs and snails... Currently, the monosex tilapia farming model is the most promising because of its simple farming techniques, guaranteed seed and food sources, and especially there are export companies ready to buy for people", said Mr. Nguyen Cong Dung, Vice Chairman of Hoa Hiep Ward People's Committee.

Workers at Hung Bang Company Limited process tilapia for export orders. Photo: Contributor

Hung Bang Company Limited in Hoa Hiep Industrial Park is an enterprise exporting processed tilapia products to the EU, Russia, and Middle East markets. To ensure raw materials, the company has cooperated with 100 households in the province to raise tilapia according to the company's technical process and purchase all output. According to Ms. Pham Thi Thu Lieu, Director of the company, the company's current processing capacity is 35 - 50 tons of raw fish/day. Tilapia processed products are being well received by the market, so the enterprise plans to increase the capacity to 100 - 150 tons of raw materials/day by 2026. Currently, Hung Bang Company Limited wants to cooperate with many households to expand the raw material area and commits to purchasing 100%.

It can be said that raising monosex tilapia is really a new direction for many households in coastal and riverside areas. Converting the farming model not only helps to improve the farming area and the environment but also creates new livelihoods. Farmer Nguyen Trong Co (Hoa Xuan commune) shared: "The company supports us with seeds, food sources and guarantees the consumption of all products; technical staff guide us on the process, how to take care of fish, clean the pond as well as mix the appropriate feed ratio. This helps us feel secure in switching to raising new aquatic products". Mr. Tran Van Phong (Hoa Hiep ward) said that he has just converted the entire ineffective shrimp farming area to raising tilapia for 2 months. The fish grow well, have few diseases and are not picky about food. The company has committed to buy 100% of the output, so we are very secure.

Many farmers and cooperatives signed cooperation agreements to supply commercial tilapia to Hung Bang Company Limited.

Looking at the country and the world , the tilapia market is growing strongly. According to Master Vo Ngoc Tram (Aquaculture Research Institute III), in 2024, global tilapia output will be about 6.8 million tons and can reach 7.3 million tons in 2025. The United States, Japan, Europe, and Latin America are major import markets in the world. In Vietnam, tilapia export turnover reached over 70 million USD and in the first quarter of 2025, tilapia exports to the US increased by 5% over the same period, reaching nearly 3 million USD.

“To reduce the pressure of monoculture of whiteleg shrimp, developing a monosex tilapia farming model is a feasible solution, suitable for local climate and water environment conditions. This model can take advantage of existing infrastructure systems such as water supply canals, ponds, pumps, etc. Along with that, the practical experience of farmers on water levels and tides combined with transferred techniques will be advantages to develop new farming models according to market demand,” Ms. Tram added.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/kinh-te/202510/trien-vong-moi-cho-thuy-san-nuoc-ngot-d650cc1/