Organic shrimp farms are being populated in the Mekong Delta Province of Ca Mau, earning 3-4 times more than tranditional farming.

Nguyen Thong Nhan, deputy director of the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, says: “With cooking hygiene and safety standards becoming more stringent in global markets, Ca Mau’s aquaculture farms adopted organic farming several years ago.”

Pham Hoc Duyet, deputy director of Nam Can Seafood Import Export Company, says his company has spent a large amount of money to hire experts from the German-based Association for Organic Agriculture and the Swiss-based Institute for Market Ecology (IMO) to consult on organic farming.

Unlike traditional shrimp-farming techniques, organic farming requires careful selection of farm sites, protection of nearby ecosystems, a ban on chemicals, organic feed, and processing according to organic standards, he says.

So far, only Breeding Farm No 184 based in Ngoc Hien District has received a certificate for organic shrimp farming from the IMO, he says.

Duyet adds that his company will work towards obtaining the certificate by June this year.

With high demand and prices for organic shrimp globally, their breeding should be increased, he says.

Lu Minh Thao, a farmer in Nam Can District, says: “My family began organic shrimp farming in 2002 and is very satisfied with the results.”

I earn an annual income of VND80-110 million (US$4,500-6,000) from my five-hectare shrimp farm compared to VND30 million from traditional farming, he adds.

Le Trung Nghia of Ca Mau Import, Export and Processing Joint Stock Company says organic shrimp is becoming increasingly popular in the EU due to its high quality.

But owing to its higher costs, many breeders do not follow this farming model, leading to a shortage of organic shrimp for export, he adds.

VietNamNet/VNS