Nghe An develops policies to promote high-tech shrimp farming

With a new period comes new plans for local growth. Nghe An province has identified the need to apply high technology in practice while gradually upgrading and improving farming areas, with the aim of developing the shrimp industry sustainably.

On March 30, the Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment held the conference “Implementation of the 2026 shrimp farming season.” The event was chaired by Mr Tran Xuan Hoc, Deputy Director of the local Department.

The conference served as an opportunity for Nghe An’s fisheries sector to comprehensively assess the shrimp industry's potential, advantages, and existing obstacles. Based on this assessment, authorities can develop timely policies and plans that align with practical conditions and deliver the expected results.

Field observations show that, in general, Nghe An’s aquaculture sector and, in particular, brackish-water shrimp farming faced numerous barriers and challenges in 2025. Unpredictable weather, complex disease dynamics, and rising input costs made shrimp farming challenging for producers.

Despite these hardships, support from the central government and local authorities, along with the active involvement of various sectors and the close direction of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, helped ease some of the pressure. Combined with the dynamism and creativity of shrimp farming organizations and individuals, aquaculture production indicators met or exceeded planned targets.

According to statistics from the Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment, the shrimp farming area in 2025 reached 1,776 ha. Harvest output totaled 11,428 tons, equivalent to 107.498% of the output in 2024, and 81.63% of the 2030 target set in the shrimp industry action plan and fisheries development program.

Meanwhile, shrimp seed production and nursing reached 2.914 billion juveniles, equal to 101.89% of the 2024 volume. Black tiger shrimp accounted for 188 million juveniles and whiteleg shrimp for 2.726 billion. The total production value reached VND 2.98 trillion, or 105.67% of the 2024 level.

However, these positive results are still not enough to alleviate many existing concerns in Nghe An's shrimp industry. Without timely solutions, the sector is at high risk of decline in the near future.

At the conference, leaders from the fisheries and animal health sectors, local authorities, enterprises, and shrimp farmers acknowledged several persistent issues. Many of these problems stem from severe water pollution, inadequate farming infrastructure, limited resources, and weak value-chain linkages.

Based on these realities, Nghe An’s fisheries sector in 2026 aims to develop the shrimp industry sustainably in adaptation to climate change. Whiteleg shrimp has been identified as the main farming species, with intensive and super-intensive high-tech farming models being prioritized.

During the farming process, harmful antibiotics will not be used, and chemical use will be minimized at all stages, including during product circulation. Production will be organized along value chains, with enterprises and cooperatives serving as key connectors and driving forces.

Under this plan, Nghe An aims to maintain the total shrimp farming area at 1,776 ha in 2026, with output reaching 11,000 tons. The province also targets the production and nursing of 2.9 billion shrimp juveniles.

“To successfully achieve the 2026 targets, specialized agencies must continue disseminating and guiding the implementation of the 2017 Fisheries Law and other related legal documents. Organizations and individuals engaged in aquaculture must strictly follow the 2026 seasonal farming calendar. They must also comply with disease prevention and control measures for aquatic species as instructed by specialized authorities, and proactively handle outbreaks when diseases occur.

“In addition, farming households should pay attention to market demand when planning production. Producers are encouraged to develop models that integrate farming with preliminary processing and product processing, thereby forming value chains from production to consumption,” said Deputy Director Tran Xuan Hoc of the Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment.

* $1 = VND 26.357 - Source: Vietcombank.