Fisheries sector in Vietnam


Ha Noi, Jan. 5 (VNA) -- The fisheries sector plans to earn USD 1.6 billion from exports in 2001.

The Fisheries Ministry held a conference in Ha Noi on Jan. 5 to review the implementation of its target set for the year 2000 and discuss measures to conduct its socio-economic development plan in 2001.

Participants in the conference pointed to the outstanding issues in 2000, including low efficiency of offshore fishing, credit payment, marketing, processing and services, and discussed measures to obtain the target set for 2001.

In 2000, the sector made great efforts to carry out three programmes on offshore fishing, aquaculture and exports of aquatic products.

Twenty-five coastal provinces and cities surpassed their yearly plan in offshore fishing, bringing the sector's total output of aquatic produce to more than 2 million tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 9.6 percent. Aquaculture has been developed throughout the country both in quality and quantity.

The sector earned more than USD 1.4 billion, 44 percent more than the 1999 figure or 27.4 percent higher than the yearly plan.

It is trying to join the world's major exporters in the first decade of the century with a turnover estimated at USD 2.5 billion in 2005 and USD 3.5 billion 2010.--VNA