Preface:
Vietnam is one of the world's leading shrimp producers and exporters, however, there is a phenomenon in the shrimp farming industry in Vietnam, that is: the cost of shrimp farming is high, the price of shrimp is high, but only a few farmers can get rich through this industry. In addition, compared to India and Ecuador, the cost of shrimp farming in Vietnam is high, making it difficult for shrimp farmers to make profits.
First, the current situation of shrimp aquaculture in Vietnam and other countries
Ecuador has a wide range of land, so each shrimp farm has the smallest tens of hectares (1 hectare equals 15 acres), the largest is hundreds, even thousands of hectares, according to records, Ecuador has 4,000 hectares of shrimp farms, so they can carry out low-density farming, but in countries such as Vietnam, it is difficult to carry out low-density aquaculture like Ecuador, because the farm area is small and the rent is relatively high.
For example, small shrimp farms in Ecuador, with a farming density of only 20 shrimp per square meter, use low-protein feed (35%-38% protein), because in such an environment, shrimp can obtain natural food from ponds, and the cost of artificial feed only accounts for 50% of the total feed cost, while in Vietnam, China and other regions, because shrimp ponds are small, if you want to get high yields, you must use high-grade feed.
It has been argued that feed accounts for 50% of farming costs, especially due to the use of high-end feed prices, which leads to higher farming costs, according to a recent survey, feed surveys in India and Ecuador show that shrimp farming with high-protein feed shortens the rearing time (80 days to 20 g in Viet Nam, 90-115 days in Ecuador and 110-130 days in India). In particular, India uses low-protein feed, slightly higher farming density, shrimp farming to 20 grams, FCR is much higher than high-protein feed, so the final feed cost will not be reduced, and the breeding time will be extended.
Most shrimp farmers in Vietnam lack funds, and buy shrimp seedlings, feed, medicines, supplies, etc., through multi-level distributors, often on credit, so they have to bear higher prices than cash purchases, which is an important reason for driving up the cost of shrimp farming in Vietnam. When raising shrimp in large farms such as Ecuador, they need to buy feed, medicines, materials, etc., which can be purchased directly from feed mills and sales companies, up to through primary distributors, rather than through multi-level distributors as in Vietnam, in addition, Ecuador's low-density farming system, the use of natural feed and reduce the cost of aerators, water, electricity, etc., is a problem of low cost of shrimp farming in Ecuador.
Indonesia is a country that is almost similar to Vietnam in farming patterns, but they use low-protein feed (35%-38% protein) and their feed coefficient is also higher than Vietnam's, because the shrimp are in the same size, so there is little difference in feed costs. But the biggest difference in Indonesia is still that most farms with 20 ponds or more buy feed directly from factories or primary distributors, and in addition, Indonesian farmers have relatively many farms and have the funds, unlike Vietnam, which buys raw materials such as feed through multi-level agents.
Everyone knows that improving the success rate of farming can reduce costs, but this cannot be changed overnight, it requires an overall strategic shift, such as: breeding, feed, breeding models, technical training and sharing. Ecuador, for example, has a high success rate in breeding thanks to their decades of smart breeding selection to reduce the risk of leukoplakia, as breeding farms select surviving shrimp from ponds for leukoplakia as broodstock, so Ecuador's shrimp fry are virtually resistant to leukoplakia disease today.
In places such as Vietnam and China, the low success rate is mainly due to the fact that it does not guarantee biosecurity and does not eliminate intermediate boarding of leukoplakia pathogens, so farmers who use the tutang model experience significant losses each year. In addition, due to the specificity of the low-tide zone of the Mekong Delta and the water pollution caused by poor sewage systems, waste is not transported to estuaries and oceans as in the tidal shrimp farming country (Indonesia), although the Tutang culture model also has less investment in oxygenation and water treatment, and the risk of other pathogens is much higher than that of the membrane culture model, resulting in a low success rate of Tutang culture in Viet Nam (<40%).
It is a reality that the price of shrimp in Vietnam remains high, but we need to look forward and not compare with countries that are not the same as the real situation, in order to better understand and find immediate solutions, and develop a whole and route to solve long-term problems.
Second, the solution to reduce costs
1. The solutions that need to be focused on at present include:
• Focus on the design of filtration and sedimentation tanks, influent treatment processes and biosecurity measures, the development of rational breeding models for small-scale farming to the construction of highly successful breeding models.
• Provide knowledge training to shrimp farmers on small-scale farms and transfer successful farming models to farmers to increase success rates.
• Farmers in the same area should set up joint farming groups to negotiate the purchase of shrimp fry, feed and other inputs at low prices.
• Rectify some of the unfavorable conditions of pond farms.
2. Overall and long-term strategies that need attention, including:
• Priority should be given to the import of disease-resistant broodstock and the quality of shrimp fry should be controlled.
• Rehabilitation of water and drainage systems in key shrimp farming areas.
• Plan the breeding areas according to the natural advantages of each province.
• Develop cooperatives to increase procurement price negotiations for shrimp fry, feed and inputs in a production chain linkage model.
• Hire excellent experts, shrimp farming engineers, old farmers, carry out technical training, and impart experience and knowledge to novice farmers.