(vasep.com.vn) In QI/2014, Vietnam mollusk exports reached US$107.5 million, up 2 percent year on year thanks to the recovery of cephalopod exports.
Through March 2014, cephalopod exports of Vietnam reached over US$91.7 million, up 5.7 percent over the same period of 2013. However, bivalve mollusk of the country kept going down with reduction of 13.4 percent.
In 2013, due to the decline in mollusk import price caused by low demand from some major markets, Vietnam's mollusk exports reduced sharply. Besides, Vietnam's mollusk exports are limited by lack of raw material and diseases on farmed mollusk, particularly clam.
To boost mollusk exports, the Steering Committee for the South-Western region (inclusive of Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang and Bac Lieu provinces) issued the plan on expanding mollusk farming area, mainly clam and blood cockle up to 28,000 hectares by 2015; 5,600 hectares higher than that of 2013. By the time, the region strives to get mollusk output of 206,000 MT; including 142,000 MT of clam and expected export revenue of US$188 million.
In Quang Ninh province, the plan on building a mollusk seed production center in Van Don district is being implemented. The plan aims to call for investments into establishing hatcheries of mollusk to produce 1.5 billion of high quality seeds. Besides, investments are mobilized to equip some seed production technologies for the center to produce aquatic seed such as clam and so on.