ĐỒNG THÁP — Đồng Tháp Province has set ambitious aquaculture goals for 2026–30, targeting more than six million tonnes of output while expanding high-tech farming and restoring aquatic resources.

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province targets seafood output of 5.5 million tonnes from farming and 576,600 tonnes from fishing during this period.

Annual aquaculture growth is targeted at 5.26 per cent in 2026–30, with exports reaching US$2–2.2 billion.

According to Deputy Chairman of the province People’s Committee Nguyễn Thành Diệu, to reach the targets it will mobilise resources to invest in aquaculture infrastructure.

The infrastructure would include fishing ports, storm shelters for fishing boats, concentrated farming zones, systems for tracking and monitoring fishing boats at sea, digitised aquaculture data and environmental and disease-warning monitoring systems for aquaculture.

The province is investing in industrial-scale and high-tech farming zones to carry on aquaculture on a large scale.

It is also accelerating the adoption of scientific and technical advances, applying biosecurity production, disease-safe farming, farm-code issuance, origin tracing, food-safety conditions, and good aquaculture practices.

It is reducing the number of fishing boats and wild catch to replenish fish stocks and fully address the European Commission’s recommendations on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

It is organising fishing, protecting aquatic resources and developing aquaculture in close connection with other economic sectors such as tourism, energy, transport, urban development, and industry and based on marine spatial and socio-economic planning.

According to the People’s Committee, Đồng Tháp will pursue sustainable aquaculture development, focusing on aquatic resource conservation and the protection of marine landscapes and the environment, contributing to national defence and security.

It will also improve offshore fishing efficiency, increase the proportion of offshore catch and enhance product quality. This will be combined with stronger protection of inland and near-shore aquatic resources.

After adopting the national aquaculture development strategy for 2021–25, the province’s aquaculture sector has continued to grow in depth, according to the People’s Committee.

Its aquaculture production increased by 3.96 per cent a year in that period.

The total output from aquaculture and fishing this year is estimated at more than VNĐ26.6 trillion ($1 billion), up 4.68 per cent from last year, with aquaculture alone growing by 6.2 per cent to 1.06 million tonnes.

Aquaculture continues to focus on key species such as tra fish, shrimp, red tilapia, and molluscs.

It has more than 22,800ha under aquaculture.

It also has 1,507 offshore fishing boats.

The province has 63 plants producing aquaculture feed and raw materials, and 80 export processing plants with a total capacity of nearly one million tonnes a year.

The tra fish sector operates a fully integrated production chain from farming to processing and distribution.

In 2025 tra fish output is expected to be worth nearly VNĐ9.7 trillion ($368 million), or 44.66 per cent of the province’s aquaculture production. — VNS