Viet Nam will prioritise products with high added value, branches out trade marks for shrimps, tra fish, molluscs, tilapia fish and tuna. — Photo thoidai.vn

Viet Nam expects to achieve 6 per cent growth in aquaculture and US$9 billion from aquatic product exports by 2020.

The goals were set in the targeted programme on sustainable fishery development for the 2016-20 period recently approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The programme prioritises aquaculture development through enhancing research capacity and modernising breeding production system with a focus placed on key staples like tra fish, shrimps, molluscs, tilapia fish and clam.

The Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) will be applied in key seafood farming areas which have comprehensive infrastructure in the Mekong Delta, Red River Delta and central coastal localities. The move aims to ensure that all farming zones will meet advanced standards on quality and food safety and hygiene.

Infrastructures for the zones must suit socio-economic and environmental conditions in coastal areas and three monitoring centres will be built to oversee the environment’s quality and warn aquatic diseases.

Regarding aquatic product processing and trade development, the fishery sector will prioritise products with high added value, branches out trade marks for shrimps, tra fish, molluscs, tilapia fish and tuna.

It will recover and develop traditional aquatic processing villages, control quality of processed products to meet demands of both domestic and foreign markets as well as address trade barriers.

The targeted programme also sets the protection of aquatic resources as a key mission for the fishery sector. — VNS