Ho Chi Minh City authorities have set up a plan to develop ornamental fish for the period 2016-2020 to push domestic consumption and export because surveys show that more and more people favor raising ornamental fish as decoration for their houses.
High valuable fishes such as Koi fish, tien ong ( old fair) fish, beta fish, neon fish are displayed in pet fish shops. Additionally, shops to supply aquarium, closed systems to raise fish and grow vegetables are mushrooming everywhere.
The HCMC Center for Trade Promotion and Investment (ITPC), the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development were asked to liaise with districts, the Farmer Association and the association of ornamental fish and plant to carry out the city’s plan to develop ornamental fish in a bid to promote domestic consumption of fish and export.
As per the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s figure, in first ten months of the year, the number of bred fish is 87 million, an increase of 2.4 percent compared to the same period. In ten months, Vietnam has exported 12,627,000 fish, up 14.3 percent compared to the same period last year.
In 2015, 286 fish breeding places in HCMC, mostly locating in districts 8, 9, 12, Go Vap, Binh Tan, Thu Duc, Cu Chi, Binh Chanh, and Hoc Mon while 278 pet fish shops open in the city.
In 2015, the number of ornamental fish is 120 million, increasing by 100 percent compared to 2010 with production value of VND534.5 million (US$ 23,755) doubling in 2010. The city’s exported 13 million fish earning US$12 million. 10 exporters and farms sold fish to 47 nations with European markets accounting for 60-70 percent like German, the UK, Sweden, Denmark, France, Italy, Switzerland and Czech.
Though the sector looks better, there have been some hiccups along the ways like requirements of European markets that fish must be bred in country qualified by the World Health Organization.
Accordingly to resolve these difficulties the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development sent its dispatch to HCMC authority to facilitate formality for fish export stressing that relevant agencies to guide companies quickly set up plan to monitor disease in fish. WHO- qualified units need to control their products carefully as per WHO’s guideline.
The municipal People’s Committee urged the Department to strive for 150-180 million fish by 2020 of which 40 - 50 fish will be sold to foreign markets aiming to earn US$40 - 50 million. Local governments should focus on maintaining production in districts 8, 9, 12, Go Vap, Thu Duc, Cu Chi, Binh Chanh, and Hoc Mon.
Most fish farms for export must partake in the city’s disease monitoring program. Deputy head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Huynh Thi Kim Cuc said that ornamental fish is one of the sector bringing high economic effectiveness.
