Leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee visit the booths at the Fair. (Photo: VOV)

At the opening ceremony, Nguyen Viet Thang, chairman of the Vietnam Fisheries Association and head of the VietShrimp 2024 Organizing Committee, noted that last year the fisheries industry, and particularly the shrimp industry, faced difficulties. But there were many improvements this year. Shrimp exports this year are projected to increase 10-15%.

However, Thang cautioned, for that to happen everyone needs to help the shrimp farmers overcome their current challenges. "Accompanying shrimp farmers" is the theme of VietShrimp 2024. We hope this fair will be a forum for businesses, shrimp farmers, experts, scientists, and managers to share and propose solutions for sustainable development of the shrimp industry," Thang said.

According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, over the past 2 decades the shrimp industry has led Vietnam's seafood exports, accounting for 40-45% of the total seafood export value every year (equivalent to 3.5-4 billion USD). Vietnamese shrimp is being exported to 100 markets, and Vietnam ranks in the world’s top 4 shrimp exporters.