Hi-tech in aquaculture needed: experts

Water monitoring systems allow for better management of aquaculture farms and less manual work. – Photo vietnambiz

Ho Chi Minh City –  The use of modern technologies in aquaculture would ensure sustainable development, experts said at a conference on water monitoring systems in HCM City on Thursday.

Huỳnh Quốc Khởi from the Bạc Liêu Province Agricultural Extension Centre said that hi-tech in aquaculture, such as water monitoring systems or recirculating aquaculture systems, permits easier detection of anomalies and better control of fish farms.

It also requires less manual work and time, and is more environmentally friendly.

Phan Thanh Lâm of the Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 2 said that water monitoring systems were especially crucial for shrimp farming, as shrimp are highly susceptible to external factors such as temperature, pH levels and salinity.

Advanced systems allow for continuous monitoring of various variables in the water so farmers can be notified of changes quickly and reduce the chance of disease or death, contributing to sustainable aquaculture.

However, Khởi said that only big farms or companies have been able to make use of such machinery.

"Most households either cannot afford high costs or are not accustomed to advanced technologies. Thus, they remain out of reach for the common farmers, even though there are plenty of machineries available," he added.

He said that there should be more training programmes and conferences to introduce new agricultural technologies to enhance farmers’ adaptability to technologies.

The Government should also have more policies to provide financial aid so farmers can more easily acquire technologies, while machinery manufacturers should ensure that their products are adaptable to many farming models.

They should also make them as simple to use and cheap to buy as possible.

The conference was part of the 2018 HCM City Animal Husbandry, Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery Processing Technology Fair and Exhibition, which ends on September 23.

Shrimp is one of Việt Nam’s main aquaculture export. The country has over 700,000 hectares devoted to shrimp farming.