Ca Mau eyes annual growth of 8 percent in agricultural exports

 

The southernmost province of Ca Mau is working to achieve an annual growth rate of 8 percent in agricultural exports during 2021 - 2025, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

To that end, it is moving to tap into local advantages and promote production to improve the competitiveness of farm produce, especially such key products as shrimp, sea crab, organic rice, wood, and banana.

The shrimp industry is the largest foreign currency earner for the province. From now to 2025, Ca Mau will keep the shrimp farming area stable, at about 280,000ha, while boosting productivity, output, as well as quality.

The eco-farming area, mainly integrated mangrove - shrimp aquaculture and rice - shrimp farming, will be expanded to 49,000ha. The co-culture of shrimp with other aquatic species will also be developed on about 250,000ha.

The province will boost shrimp export to potential markets, including the EU, Japan, the US, Eastern Europe, Middle East, China, and the Republic of Korea, to make use of the signed free trade agreements so as to earn nearly 5.65 billion USD in revenue from now to 2025.

Without as favourable conditions for rice production as other localities in the Mekong Delta, Ca Mau has still managed to form large-scale and sustainable rice farming areas.

It aims to raise to the organic rice cultivation area to 2,500ha by 2025 and rake in 22 million USD from selling this produce to Singapore, Europe, the US, Hong Kong (China), and the Republic of Korea during 2021 - 2025.

Forestry has also been given priority, with partnerships in the wood sector’s value chain from afforestation to wood logging, processing, and sale promoted.

Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Van Thuc said Ca Mau will work to have 10,000ha granted the sustainable forest management certificate and 100 percent of wood products made from forest trees with legal origin.

It hopes that 90 percent of the commercial forest area, equivalent to 54,000ha, will have sustainable management plans, generating 20 million USD in processed wood exports, mostly to Europe, in five years./.