Drought devastates local shrimp industry
This year’s prolonged drought and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta has destroyed more than 81,000 hectares of prime shrimp breeding areas in eight provinces, says the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Shrimp farmers in Ca Mau Province in the very south of the country, where most of the big farms are situated, have suffered the biggest losses, said Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong of Mard at a recent conference in Hanoi. Followed by shrimpers in the provinces of Kien Giang, Bac Lieu and Soc Trang in descending order of magnitude of the damages. Losses in Ca Mau Province alone, he said, have been estimated at a staggering US$11.6 million, principally caused by the high salinity brought about by the prolonged drought.
