Binh Thuan's Aquaculture

TURN ADVANTAGES INTO STRENGTH

For the past years, Vietnam's aquaculture has become one of the country’s keynote economic sectors. As a part of the country's aquaculture, Bình Thuận's has also gained some significant achievements.

With a coast of 192 kilometers, five bays, three headlands stretching out into the sea, an island named Phú Quý (32 km² in area), an open continental self six mail estuaries and a sea area of 52,000 square kilometers with a proper salinity facilitating the development of marine creatures, Bình Thuận is a potential zone of marine diversity and a large fishing-ground of the country.

The province's natural resource of marine products is not only large in reserve but also rich in species (over 500 fish species including 60 ones of high economic values, such as mackerels, groupers, snappers, tunas). The fishing productivity can reach 120,000 tons per year in the sea waters 50 km offshore. Especially, there are some marine specialties found here only.

Not relying on the available sources of income, the province has created more benefits from its own advantages by making use of many coastal and riverside alluvial expanses tidal grounds and high-tidal zones of ineffective salt production to serve intensive shrimp-raising cultivation (141.3 hectares used). The raising of fresh fish and marine products is introduced to every household along the coast of Phú Quý Island.

An advantageous of the local aquaculture is a labor force of 7/,000 people, which accounts for 13.1 percent of the province's total labor force. The local fishermen are experienced and industrious. They assume most of logistic services of pisci-culture. At present, in cultivating and processing marine products, fishermen are significantly assisted by the contingent of scientists and technicians through applying scientific and technological advances to bring about high efficiency. For. example, a new fishing method has been introduced  to form the craft of catching offshore tunas; equipment has been provided to preliminarily process and preserve marine products right m the open seas. Despite of difficult living condition, people's low intellectual level petty logistic services, and small scale. fishermen are still the major labor force of the local aquaculture.

For the past years, Bình Thuận's aquaculture sector has reached an annual growth rate of 14.2 percent in a range of keynote fields: fishing, cultivating and processing aquatic products. The most noteworthy in fishing is high-capacity of ships and boats. The number of motorboats and high-capacity ships (over 90 CV and 330 CV respectively~ has increased rapidly. Especially, the majority of fishermen have invested in building big ships to exploit the offshore fishing-grounds, reducing considerably the in-shore exploitation. Furthermore, the fishing methods have been diversified both in offshore and in-shore areas. Both traditional and newly-imported methods have been introduced. Though some projects have not really shown their effectiveness and there is a lack of capital, the exploitation capacity still remain stable. The exploitation output in 2002 was estimated 13/.000 tons, fulfilling 97 percent of the plan and 102.3 percent against 2001.

In cultivating aquatic products, a great attention has been paid to raising breed-shrimp and tiger prawn for export in a large scale, attracting a number of domestic and foreign investors. Besides, the cultivation of sea specialties and fresh-water fish have been promoted, such as raising fish in floating cages in the sea areas of Phú Quý Island, breeding green crayfish and tortoises. The cultivation of fresh-water marine products has become popular, attracting many economic sectors. The model of economic farm is applied: pisci-culture combined with cultivation and husbandry. This model brings about not only economic but a/so social efficiency, especially for the residents in the remote areas.

The processing of marine products has been developed. Many enterprises are very dynamic and active in production, business and seeking for markets. For example, the Export Fish Sauce Company (AROMA) has increasingly exported its products to Japan; the Phan Thiết Fish Sauce Stock Company has relied on relied available sources of materials lo process major products from fish, shrimps, squids and other sea products.

Natural and socio-economic conditions have created a potential fishing ground. At present, Bình Thuận has established four socio-economic coastal areas which are the keynote economic zones of the province: Tuy Phong, Phan Thiết Hàm Tân and Phú Quý. These areas will be oriented to a comprehensive development: fishing. breeding and processing marine products, ship-build- mg, trade and fishing services.

Phan Thiết, the province's capital, is a socio-economic and cultural center. It is also the province's center of fishery with three major zones: Mũl Né, Phú Hải and Cồn Chà. Fishing, processing industry and ship-building are the key fields on the aquaculture here. At present, the general industrial complex in Phan Thiết Port is bringing its strong points into play. In 2002, there were 10.852 turns of ships and boats arriving and leaving the port, equivalent ot 117 percent of the previous year. The volume of sea products circulated via the port reached 40,940 tons. The construction and operation of the Phan Thiết Port has significantly contributed to promote the export of marine products not only for the city but also for the entire province. Beside maintaining and developing the fishing and breeding, the processing industry has been considerably invested. By 2010, with a system of cold storage of a capacity of 2,000 tons, the province will provide 100 tons of frozen products daily, 9,000 tons of frozen exports and 3,000 tons of dried products. The processing of sea specialties for export will be stressed. One of the targets for the years to come is to upgrade and modernize the processing units by investing in advanced assembly lines in order to raise the productivity and promote the export of high-quality products. Such modem assembly lines and technologies as the line to dry cuttlefish and instant spice sea products (200 tons/year) and fish powder (500 tons/year), the line to produce fried fish (200 tons/year) will be purchased. Moreover. a shipyard with 1 the capacity of 30 ships/year and an export plastic bag factory ( / ,000 1 tons/year) will be built.

Beside Phan Thiết development center, Phú Quý Island is also an area of r favorable location and national defense 1 significance. The entire island-district has a natural area of 17,000 ha. One of its strong points is the sea, first the coastal areas, where the cage aquaculture can be promoted. In the next years, some sea areas and reefs will be planned to raise lobsters and groupers for export. The aquaculture sector expects that the fishing yield will account for 7 percent of the province's total exploitation productivity in 2010. The fishing capacity will be 320 ships/17,400 CV. The export processing industry wl/1 be developed right on the island, with a system of cold storages and ice factories. According to a State project, the island's infrastructure (electricity, water supply, post and communication network, and Phú Quý Port) will be invested in order to build a powerful and prosperous island-district of a comprehensive socio-economic development.

The third keynote coastal socio- economic center is Tuy Phong with a number of the concentrated shrimp- breeding zones (Vĩnh Hảo, Bình Thạnh, Chí Công, Liên Hương). It is expected that the intensive and industrial shrimp raising area here will be 1,300 ha in 2005 and 2,875 ha in 2010. In the coming years, many shrimp-breed camps and farms will be built along the Vĩnh Hảo and Bình Thạnh coast, marine specialties ln Câu Isle, and fresh-water fish raising ln Đá Bac Lake. The Phan Rí Port is further perfected and a fish quay will be established in Liên Hương to facilitate inter-regional transport and exchange.

Hàm Tân, one of four keynote areas, tends to become a tourist center with direct connections to the southern major economic area. Here, the marine product processing industry will be linked with instant food. At present, a cannery with the capacity of 1,000 tons/year is in construction. Up to 2010, Hàm Tân will focus on fishing, cultivating and processing marine products.

The 5^th Tenure of the 7^th party Congress confirmed to build aquaculture as a key economic industry. And the sector takes export activity as its major aspect to develop. This is also the development orientation of Bình Thuận's aquaculture during the past time and up to 2010. From 2001 to 2010, the sector has tried to gain an average growth rate of 17.9 percent and an export value of US$ 70 million (US$ 70 million in 2005 and US$ 130 million in 2010).

Bình Thuận has raised industrial percentage in its economic structure and paid great attention to processing industry and consumption commodity manufacture. Therefore, in the years to come, beside the fishing and breeding activities, the processing of marine products to serve export will be promoted.

In exploitation, it is necessary to invest in the development of ships and boats in line with the State program on offshore fishing and investment projects on fishing fleets, logistic services and marine product consumption. At the same time, the storage of products right in the open sea will be enhanced to raise the products' quality and competitiveness. Raising shrimps, shrimp breeds, marine specialties and fresh-water fish will remain the major orientation of the aquaculture sector. Some specific projects have been set up, such as the projects on semi-intensive raising of tiger prawns (Tân Thang Commune, Hàm Tân District) and intensive raising of prawns in high-tidal area (Phước Thể Commune, Tuy Phong District).

In processing industry, the major targets include: to upgrade the advantageous establishments; to promote investment in building new processing establishments with modem technologies; to apply micro biotechnology in producing fish sauce; to modernize processing lines; and to process right on the ships with cold storage. In the four major coastal economic areas, some large-scale and modern processing zones will be built. The Phan Thiết fish harbor, service and industrial park will become a processing center and an important market. A service and marine products processing zone will be built m an area of 20 hectares in Phú Quý. The fish markets in Phan Thiết and Phú Quý will function as two important fishery logistic centers of Bình Thuận.

To further develop marine products processing industry and fulfill all export norms and plans, Bình Thuận's aquaculture sector has recalled for external investments. The province has mobilized capitals from domestic and foreign enterprises and organization by encouraging in-depth investment and introducing new fishing devices, high quality processing lines and equipment. The province has also proactively recalled for foreign investments and aid capitals in order td promote the province's fishery industrialization and modernization. Especially, the province has paid great attention to foreign joint-ventures in exploiting marine products in various sea and ocean areas and processing products for export.

The export markets are always the sector's top priority. The sector has made great efforts to maintain and enlarge its Asian markets such as Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea; penetrate into Europe and North America. At the same time. domestic consumption is enhanced. A number of new marketing methods have been introduced to increase the domestic market share, especially in big cities, tourist areas, and rural areas. Specializing and modernizing the aquaculture sector is a long-term target. To fulfill this, it is necessary to invest in science and technique as well as human resource. Moreover, the sector should renovate the regimes and policies on tax exemption and reduction, on subsidizing the production, import and export of marine products, on promoting free production and circulation to generate more Jobs for laborers, and on socializing fishery through different forms of ownership (State, collective, private, household, etc.).

To serve exploiting, cultivating and processing marine products with a high efficiency, the province has significantly invested in infrastructure. In 2001, a number of fish harbors (Phan Thiết, Lagi, Phú Quý) were completed. At present, the province focuses on building some seaports, fish quays, and fish markets, dredging channels, pas-sages and estuaries, investing in logistic services with many investment projects (shipyards in Phan Thiết to build aluminum or composite body ships, purchase high-speed ships to serve fish inspection and rescue work). In the future, many cultural fishing villages will be founded to improve the fishermen's material and intellectual life.

As one of the sea provinces endowed with a great abundance of marine products, Bình Thuận is expected to further make full use of its advantages and overcome all difficulties to develop into an important economic area in Southern Central Vietnam./.

Trieu Nguyen Thu Ha