New Orientation in Exploiting Ago-Fishery Potentials

Ca Mau province has 293,000 hectares of aquaculture area, including up to 264,000 hectares of shrimp breeding. The remaining is for other kinds of aquatic products. Although the aquaculture during the past time has developed, there are some existing difficulties such as weak infrastructures, spread of epidemic diseases. The province’s average output of shrimp reached 356 kilos per hectare in 2008, much lower than that of other provinces.        

 

The province’s cultivation area of rice is 97,000 hectares with a various crop structure including two rice harvests yearly and one rice harvest on a shrimp crop. The cultivation of rice has gained the good growth, but also faced some challenges. The amount of rice varieties which don’t meet the standard is still high, accounting for up to 70 %. Seed rices are mostly exchanged among farmers. Some of them are degenerated due to being used for many crops, resulting in the low productivity. The multiplication has not yet been carried out in the province and farmers must buy seeds from other provinces. A survey showed the rate of Ca Mau farmers using seed rice certificated in 2008 reached only 20 %, the lowest rate in the Mekong delta region.   

The interior filed irrigational system to serve rice cultivation and shrimp breeding has been invested and upgraded, but not yet met the increasing demand. Many works have benn degraded. Water in cannals and ditches become exhausted in dry seasons. Meanwhile, the capability of intensive cultivation of Ca Mau farmers is weak and affected by old cultivation customs. The loss after harvesting is still huge while the prices of tools and fertilizers are intending to be higher and higher.

The real situation proves the province’s output of rice and shrimp is very low, not on a par with its potentials. If the province reorganizes the production, uses good varieties and applies scientific advances in production, the output and quality will surely be improved, creating a breakthrough in the rice cultivation and shrimp breeding, contributing to the province’s agricultural and rural development in the upcoming years.

Learning from experiences in production transfer over the past years, Ca Mau province has built a scheme on raising the productivity, output and efficiency in rice cultivation and shrimp breeding for the period from now to 2012 and a vision to 2015. The scheme’s purpose is to apply strongly scientific and technological advances in the production process to create the breakthrough of capacity, quality and efficiency. I detail, from now till 2012, the province targets to raise the capacity of shrimp breeding by 20 % and of rice cultivation by 15 % against 2008. By 2015, the province expects the shrimp output will increase 30 % and rice cultivation capacity by 25 % compared to those of 2008. It also targets 70 % of shrimp and rice growers will be trained basic technologies by 2012 and 90 % of them by 2015. The province also will build and expand the production models of high-quality seed rice and breeding shrimp, the models of industrial breeding, ecological shrimp breeding, model of shrimp-rice, the collective economy model in order to create a breakthrough in raising capacity, quality and efficiency.        

To promote effectively the scheme, Ca Mau province needs to follow efficient measures suitable to the province’s real conditions and boost the instruction:

Breeding shrimps: Strengthening the check and supervision of breeding shrimp production and trading activities, information and propaganda, training growers and technicians, encouraging enterprises of the province and other localities to invest in opening production farms of seeds and breeding animals to ensure the supply source for local growers.     

 

Seed Rice: Building the stimulus project to support new rice varieties for farmers. The project’s purpose is to raise the rate of new rice area, high-quality rice to more than 80 % in 2012; encouraging organizations and individuals to invest in production of seeds suitable to the province’s conditions; developing the system of rice production and multiplication establishments among farm households; specifying the main structure of seed rice for separated ecological areas in the province, researching and piloting the production of high-quality rice.      

 

 

 

Calling on relevant agencies and sectors to manage and encourage economic elements to invest and develop the service, materials production and trading, equipment, and tools to serve the production; investing to develop the production establishments of fertilizer and animals feed in order to the production demand, adjust the market, stabilize the price and supervise the quality. In addition, the investment of infrastructures such as irrigation, electricity and the promotion of emulation movements are especially important in carrying out the scheme.   

The scheme of raising the capacity, quality, efficiency in rice and shrimp cultivation till 2012 and a vision to 2015 will helped the province exploit potentials and advantages sustainably.

 

With big resources in fisheries and rice, Ca Mau is one of the four provinces in the key economic region of the Mekong Delta. The province has a master plan approved by the Prime Minister for socio-economic development.

In recent years, the province has focused on upgrading infrastructure to encourage the development of other industries. As a result, roads, rivers and airport can now connect with other provinces and cities. The present five flights a week to Ho Chi Minh City could be increased to meet the demand. Rich natural and human resources are also important pre-conditions for socio-economic development of the province.

 

In recent years, Ca Mau has recorded an economic growth rate of 10 % a year. The economic structure is changing in favour of industry and service. In 2007, GDP was VND15,825 billion, or up by 17 %. GDP per capita was US$785 and expert value was US$619 million.

 

The development of Ca Mau airport, Nam Can port, Highway 1 to Ca Mau – Nam Can, Electricity-Fertilizer-Gas Complex (fertilizer plant of 800,000 tonnes a year and two 1,500KW power plants) have given Ca Mau a new face and opportunities.

 

In cultural and social fields, Ca Mau has also made progress with financial and banking services, post and telecommunication, health, cultural and recreation centres meeting the demand of investors and tourists. Besides, Ca Mau is trying to improve its provincial competitive index (PCI). In 2007, it was 19^th among 64 provinces and cities, 28 rungs higher than 2006. In 2008, it again upgraded 11 rungs.

 

According to the master plan of socio-economic development to 2020, Ca Mau city will be the centre of the province and the peninsula with a sea-based economy and rural development. GDP per capita will be US$3000. By 2020, the economic structure will be 19.6 % in agriculture, 43.5 % in industry and 36.9 % in service. The export value will be US$1.8-2 billion a year. Agriculture-fisheries-forestry will be developed to meet the demand of processing industry and sustainable development. Agricultural production value will be VND60 million per hectare. Submerged forest will be protected, especially Ca Mau and U Minh Ha national parks. Tourism will be developed with diversified products: ecology, sea and islands and in cooperation with local and foreign partners.

 

By 2020, the %age of urban and rural population will be 40 and 60 % respectively. Education will attain secondary level. 60 % of the workforce will be trained. Health care will be promoted with a network of general and specialized hospitals.

 

The province will also mobilize local and foreign resources for socio-economic development. Nam Can port will be upgraded and Bo De river mouth will be dredged to facilitate maritime transport. Nam Can airport will be upgraded to meet the demand of the tourism, oil and gas industry and sea-based economy.

 

To keep up with other parts of the country, the province is improving infrastructure in the Khanh An industrial zone and building others in Hoa Trung, Nam Can, Song Doc to attract investors. The province also plans to develop Nam Can economic zone and Ca Mau bio-sphere area. It also focuses on development of human resources of high quality including engineers, MA, PhD, skilled workers and managers to meet the demand of regional and international integration.