HANOI, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam targeted shrimp and catfish as two key seafood export products in 2017, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on Monday.
Accordingly, the country will maintain its shrimp production area of 700,000-800,000 hectares, with a focus on intensive and extensive farming, reported local Tien Phong (Pioneer) online newspaper.
Nearly 44,000 tons of shrimp were produced in the first two months of 2017, up some 24 percent year-on-year.
Meanwhile, for catfish production, Vietnam will put priority on ensuring seed quality and quantity. It is forecast that this year, catfish will enjoy high stable price. The country's catfish exports are finding hard in the U.S., European Union markets but seeing more and more big orders of catfish from China, said the ministry.
Official statistics showed that Vietnam's total catfish growing area hit over 2,150 hectares, down 11 percent year-on-year. A total of 180,000 tons of catfish were produced during two-month period, down 1.2 percent year-on-year.
According to MARD, Vietnam's exports of fishery products reach 844 million U.S. dollars, down 3.1 percent year-on-year from January to February.
