Vietnam province to boost exports to US$1bn
HANOI - The southernmost province of Ca Mau plans to more than double export turnover from fisheries, its key economic sector, and is shoot for earnings of US$1 billion (VND15.7 trillion) annually by the end of the decade.
The province set the target in its socio-economic development strategy from now to 2010. Last year, the province earned $410 million from fisheries exports, while this year it expects to reach $460 million.
Though the target wasn't too tough to reach, the province did face some obstacles, the director of Ca Mau Seafood Processing and Import-Export said.
Tran Quang Chieu said the price of shrimp on the world market has dropped continuously in the last few years due to tough competition among shrimp exporters.
Worse still, competition among Ca Mau processing plants and those of neighboring provinces had forced the buying price higher than the selling price, Chieu added.
The province's aquaculture exports in 2001 increased 18.5 percent over 2000. They grew by 15 percent in 2002 and 21.6 percent last year. Exports are expected to grow 12 percent this year.
According to the provincial Department of Fisheries, Ca Mau's aquaculture exports should increase by 15 percent each year from 2005 to 2010 in order to meet the $1 billion target.
Ca Mau province now has 19 major seafood processing lines with a total capacity of 15,500 tonnes a year. The province's total seafood processing capacity, including private, small-scale operations, is 80,000 tonnes a year.
Last year, the province exported 16,000 tonnes of shrimp to the US alone. Over the last three years, tom su (black tiger prawns) have accounted for 70 percent of Ca Mau's aquaculture exports to the US.
Shrimp exports maintained a high growth rate thanks to a synchronous scheme of catching and processing for export, Chieu said. To maintain and expand their markets, local enterprises have applied quality management programs and some have earned ISO 9002 certification.
Chief of the provincial Department of Fisheries' Trade Promotion-Market Development Chamber, Ly Thuan, said for markets such as Europe, the US and the Middle East, the department needed to consider a number of factors: what the sector should produce, how much it should produce and where and when to sell the products. Thuan also said the province should advertise Ca Mau seafood product brands widely throughout the world.
"Local aquaculture enterprises should not focus solely on the American market, which is very sensitive, and full of risks," he said.
In order to further boost production, Ca Mau should expand trade promotions, send experts abroad to study markets, open more representative offices, participate in international seafood fairs and attend trade fairs, said Thuan.
Ca Mau's total output of raw and processed seafood and aquaculture products was 238,000 tonnes last year. Of that, 105,000 tonnes were aquaculture products, including 76,000 tonnes of shrimp.
The province is set to yield 240,000 tonnes, including 90,000 tonnes of shrimp, this year.
Asia Times - February 28, 2004.
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