Every year, the province supplies 40-45 billion shrimp, meeting about 40% of the demand for commercial shrimp farming nationwide and is aiming to become a national center for high-quality shrimp seed production.
Applying high technology in shrimp seed production
Le Van Que, Chairman of the Ninh Thuan Province Aquaculture Association, said: “The whole province has 466 enterprises and facilities operating in shrimp seed production applying high technical advances, such as: Using water treatment technology with ultrafiltration systems, integrating ultraviolet rays (UV), ozone technology, biotechnology to manage and control water quality... Currently, production facilities have completely eliminated the use of antibiotics and toxic chemicals throughout the shrimp seed rearing process”.
Many facilities also combine the application of standards, such as: Better Management Practices (BMP); Good aquaculture practice in Vietnam (VietGAP); production chain ensures disease safety according to standards (OIE)... into the management system, control the quality of the seed,... so the quality of the product and competitiveness in the market of the southern provinces, such as: Ca Mau, Ben Tre, Bac Lieu, Tra Vinh, Long An, Kien Giang... are increasingly improved.
Over the past 10 years, Tuan Ha Aquatic Seed Production Company Limited, Nhon Hai Commune, Ninh Hai District has applied scientific achievements to shrimp seed production and brought high efficiency. Ngo Chi Khang, Head of Production Department shared that thanks to the application of a closed process by cultivating pure algae in a recirculating system, incubating larvae using microbiological technology, applying molecular biology techniques to diagnose and test diseases on shrimp, the quality of the company’s shrimp seed products is always highly appreciated by customers in the province and outside the province.
Every year, the company imports three to five batches of parent shrimp (180 pairs/batch) originating from the US, supplied by large companies in Thailand to produce postlarvae for the domestic commercial shrimp farming market. After importing parent shrimp, the company carries out the “domestication and breeding” process for 15-20 days for the parent shrimp to stabilize their health, then carries out the “pressing” stage so that the mother shrimp lays eggs for the first time, from 350 to 400,000 eggs/individual. Next, every 7-10 day cycle, the mother shrimp continues to lay eggs once until the 140th day, ending the spawning cycle.
Each subsequent spawning of the cycle, the number of eggs increases by 15-25% compared to the first time. Thanks to the good application of technology and techniques of incubation and care, the survival rate of postlarvae shrimp also increases day by day. Since the beginning of 2025, the company has supplied about 250 million 20-day-old postlarvae to the commercial farming market nationwide every month.
Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment Dang Kim Cuong said: In the first six months of 2025, the whole province has produced and supplied to the commercial farming market more than 24.5 billion postlarvae from 15 to 20 days old, reaching more than 55% of the annual plan. The People’s Committee of Ninh Thuan province has planned the An Hai High-Tech Aquaculture Breeding Area, Ninh Phuoc District; Nhon Hai Concentrated Aquaculture Breeding Area, Ninh Hai District with a total area of 298 hectares, and has also planned the Son Hai High-Tech Parent Shrimp Production Area, Thuan Nam District.
Up to now, An Hai High-Tech Aquatic Seed Production Zone has had more than 130 production facilities, with an output of 10 to 12 billion shrimp seeds/year (accounting for 25-35% of the province’s total seed output). Ninh Thuan is calling on qualified businesses to invest in this area to build the area into a model high-tech shrimp seed production zone in the country. Nhon Hai Concentrated Aquatic Seed Production Zone has more than 60% of the total shrimp seed production facilities in the province, with an output of about 45-55% of the province's total seed output.
Mechanisms and policies for sustainable development are needed
Ninh Hai district is considered the core area of the planning centre for high-quality shrimp seed production in Ninh Thuan and the whole country in the period of 2021-2030. Most of the roads leading to the production area are still temporary and have not been upgraded, making it very difficult to transport input materials and output products, directly affecting the increase in production costs of enterprises.
Le Van Loi, Director of Nam Thanh Loi.vn Aquatic Seed Company Limited, Tri Hai commune, Ninh Hai district shared: In recent years, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has signed regulations on shrimp seed management with provinces with commercial shrimp farming areas across the country; regularly sharing information on seed management; results of water environment monitoring in production areas; daily announcing widely the results of quarantine of quality of locally produced shrimp seed before enterprises transport products out of the province.
Along with that, the Department provides on the website a list of batches of broodstock within the breeding period; information on the origin, time, quantity of imported broodstock at production facilities, quarantine certificate numbers... to help commercial shrimp farmers and management agencies at the destination easily verify the origin of shrimp seed production of enterprises in accordance with regulations... contributing positively to building the brand “Ninh Thuan shrimp seed” to spread more and more widely in the market.
However, given the fact that infrastructure at shrimp seed production sites has not been invested in proportionately, Ninh Thuan will find it very difficult to sustainably develop the brand “Ninh Thuan shrimp seed” as well as aim to become a center for high-quality shrimp seed production according to the set goals.
In 2022, the Provincial People’s Committee approved the project to develop Ninh Thuan into a center for producing high-quality shrimp seeds nationwide in the period of 2021-2030. The results achieved in the recent past have determined that the “Ninh Thuan Shrimp Seed” brand has gradually risen, stood firm in the market, brought high economic value to businesses, and contributed positively to the socio-economic development of the province.
Vice Chairman of the Ninh Thuan Provincial People’s Committee Trinh Minh Hoang
More alarming is the spontaneous and widespread development of commercial snail farms that do not follow the planning in the planning area for high-quality shrimp seed production. Dozens of snail farms have been discharging large amounts of waste containing a lot of organic substances, making the environment increasingly polluted; negatively affecting the quality of seawater and groundwater, easily leading to the risk of spreading pathogens, affecting the output and quality of shrimp seed production, and at the same time disrupting the planning landscape approved by Ninh Thuan province.
Another important issue that many business owners and shrimp seed production facilities in Ninh Thuan are in dire need of the province to soon find a solution is investing in the production of parent shrimp.
According to Que, most businesses in Ninh Thuan have to import parent shrimp from other countries to bring to the company to organize the production of baby shrimp, supplying the demand for commercial shrimp farming. While the cost of importing parent shrimp is high (150 USD/pair), the time for mother shrimp to lay eggs is only 140 days (from 16-18 times/spawn/cycle), so production facilities really hope that the central and provincial ministries, branches and agencies will soon issue appropriate mechanisms and policies such as building forms of cooperation and association between businesses and aquatic breed researchers to invest in and form a center for producing parent shrimp with its own origin in Ninh Thuan.
This will help businesses reduce the cost of purchasing parent shrimp, avoiding risks such as imported mother shrimp dying due to loss of strength during the “domestication and breeding” period or during the spawning period... causing losses to businesses. Producing parent shrimp not only helps businesses escape from dependence on imported shrimp sources, but also creates favorable conditions for businesses to master parent shrimp sources with Vietnamese origin and brand, contributing to improving the efficiency of producing high-quality Ninh Thuan shrimp seeds and enhancing competitiveness in the market.
Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Trinh Minh Hoang said: In 2022, the Provincial People’s Committee approved the project to develop Ninh Thuan into a center for high-quality shrimp seed production in the country for the period 2021-2030. The results achieved in the recent past have determined that the “Ninh Thuan Shrimp Seed” brand has gradually risen, stood firmly in the market, brought high economic value to businesses, and contributed positively to the socio-economic development of the province.
In the coming time, the locality will focus on removing difficulties and obstacles, and at the same time, have policies to create conditions for businesses to continue to promote the application of technical advances, microbiological technology, genetic breeding and environmental treatment to improve the quality of breeds as well as have mechanisms for businesses in the province to link and cooperate with central specialised institutes, scientific researchers... Soon build, form and put the Son Hai high-tech parent shrimp production area, Thuan Nam district into operation so that Ninh Thuan meets all the criteria to become the centre of high-quality shrimp seed production in the country.
