Source: Xinhuanet

08-28-2007 09:57

Special Report:   High Level Int'l FS Forum

HANOI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Provinces in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam have devised an ambitious plan to develop seafood processing and export industry in the region, local newspaper Vietnam News reported Monday.

Nearly 6.5 trillion VND (some 406 million U.S. dollars) has been devoted to the seafood development project. According to the plan, the provinces will build an additional 32 seafood processing plants between now and 2010, which will bring the total number of seafood processing plants in the region to 68, with a total annual capacity of 534,000 tons. The figure is expected to increase to 130 by 2020 with a capacity of over one million tons.

Meanwhile, the Mekong Delta will establish more than 2,100 small fry nursing centers, which are expected to yield 2.7 billion fry by 2010. The figures are expected to increase to 3000 and 6.7 billion by 2020, respectively.

Based on the project, the volume of catfish products exported to Asia, the European Union, and North America will surge to 230,000 tons by 2010, making out nearly 600 million dollars. The figure is expected to double by 2020.

To meet the planned figures, local processors plan to increase the acreage of catfish farming to 10,200 hectares to produce 860,000 tons by 2010, and 16,600 hectares and 1.9 million tons by 2020.

 

Editor:Chen Ge