In 2023, fish cage farming has continued to recover after the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. With advantages in sale, fish cage farming has brought a fair source of income to thousands of households, especially those residing around Hoa Binh reservoir.
This year, fish cage farming on Hoa Binh reservoir develops stably with good consumption.
Tien Phong is one of the communes of Da Bac district where fish cage farming has been developing vigorously. Currently, there are about 800 fish cages with 400 local households engaged in farming. After experiencing many difficulties due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the two past years (2022 - 2023), fish cage farming households in Tien Phong commune have actively restored production and product consumption. In particular, the establishment of Da Giang Eco Cooperative in the commune has helped promote product supply and consumption linkages.
Xa Ngoc Hung, the cooperative’s director, said it currently has seven official members and 90 affiliated households. When the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting the country, its products were unsold, but the consumption of the fish has been much more favourable over the past two years. At present, farmed fish is sold well, particularly specialty fish such as ca lang (hemibagrus wyckii) are sought after.
To develop fish cage farming stably and sustainably, the cooperative has signed contracts with farming households to purchase fish at market prices, he said.
The cooperative is aiming for intensively processed fish products instead of selling fresh fish as before, he said, adding that this suits the needs of customers and is convenient for transportation, thus improving product values, Hung noted.
In 2023, the Da Giang Eco Cooperative had three products rated as three-star under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme, namely Da River black ca lang (hemibagrus wyckii), Da River black ca tram (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and Da River ca nganh (Cranoglanis sinensis).
Da Bac district has 143ha under aquaculture and 2,060 fish cages, concentrating in Hien Luong, Vay Nua and Tien Phong and other communes.
Bui Khac Vinh, Head of the district’s Division of Agriculture and Rural Development, said in 2023, the protection of aquatic resources has been strengthened and the use of electric shock, explosives, and toxic chemicals to exploit aquatic resources has decreased significantly. Fish cage farmers have paid attention to managing the farming environment and implementing measures to prevent farmed fish from diseases. The district has focused on promoting consumption linkages to develop sustainable fish cage farming and bring high economic efficiency.
Hoa Binh province has a fish farming area of 2,695ha with nearly 5,000 cages. It has built trademarks for fish and shrimp of Da River, which have been certified by the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam. The province has set up three product consumption chains in Hoa Binh city, Da Bac district and Tan Lac - Mai Chau, thereby helping to improve the value of Da River’s fish and shrimp as well as expanding product consumption markets.
Hoang Van Son, Director of the provincial Sub-department of Fisheries, said to develop sustainable aquaculture, in the coming time, the sector will continue to restructure fishery and speed up the application of new technology to fishery activities to diversify products. It will also promote research, transfer and application of scientific and technical advances with priority given to high technology and new advanced scientific and technological solutions.
After more than four years of implementing a project launched by the Hoa Binh Party Committee’s Standing Board on developing agriculture and promoting product consumption linked with building new-style rural areas for the 2021-2025 period, the province’s industry and trade sector has made significant strides, greatly contributing to local socio-economic development.
Luong Son district has identified 2025 as the year for the accelerated breakthrough to successfully implement the socio-economic development plan for the 5-year period from 2021 to 2025. The district has been focusing on executing the plans and trying to achieve a GRDP growth rate of approximately 15%.
Since the beginning of this year, under the direction of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the Sub-Department of Agricultural, Forestry, and Fishery Product Quality Management has strengthened the integration of the professional activities to promote and guide the organizations and individuals in the production and trading of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products to comply with the legal regulations regarding the use of chemicals, pesticides and veterinary medicines in crop cultivation, livestock farming and aquaculture. They also provide guidance to processing and manufacturing establishments on keeping the records to trace the product origins and using food additives from the approved list according to the regulations.
Hoa Binh province saw a significant rise in state budget revenue in the first two months of 2025, heard a meeting chaired by Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Quach Tat Liem.
Ha Thi Ha Chi, a 26-year-old graduate in law, has taken an unconventional path by returning to her hometown in Mai Chau district to establish the Tong Dau Cooperative, creating stable jobs for local women and bringing Thai ethnic brocade weaving to the global market.
As the Lunar New Year 2025 approached, pork prices surged, creating a profitable season for farmers in Tan Vinh commune, Luong Son district. Taking advantage of the rising demand, Can Minh Son, a farmer from Coi hamlet, sold over 30 pigs at 69,000 VND/kg, each weighing more than 100 kg. After deducting expenses, his family earned a profit of over 50 million VND.
