Since the beginning of 2025, many shrimp farmers in An Phu Commune (Quang Ngai) have suffered heavy losses as disease outbreaks have continued to occur, severely affecting dozens of hectares of ponds.
HEAVY LOSSES, MANY HOUSEHOLDS LEFT EMPTY-HANDED
An Phu Commune is a key white-leg shrimp farming area in the province, with more than 50 hectares of pond area. Investment costs for each crop often run from hundreds of millions to as much as one billion VND. However, shrimp seed have repeatedly fallen ill from the very first days after stocking, stopped eating, grown slowly, and even died in large numbers before harvest time.
Mr. Tran Dinh Trong (Thanh An hamlet) has more than 7,500 m² of ponds and has invested about 500 million VND since the beginning of the year, but none of the crops has been successful. “The shrimp got sick just a few days after stocking, and after more than a month of farming they died in large numbers. I was forced to sell off juvenile shrimp at just 50 days old, recovering less than half of the yield compared with previous years,” he said.
Similarly, Mr. Pham Ran (Sung Tuc hamlet) also lost more than 200 million VND after three unsuccessful stocking attempts. Despite treating the environment and using many kinds of medicine, the shrimp still contracted red body disease, white feces disease, and intestinal disease.
CAUSES AND CHALLENGES
According to local residents, this year disease outbreaks have appeared continuously with many types of illnesses such as red body disease, EHP (microsporidian), TDP (transparent post-larvae)... The causes stem from weather fluctuations, environmental conditions, and seed quality, while prevention and treatment remain limited.
The Economic Office of An Phu Commune said that the habit of overlapping production cycles and improper pond treatment techniques are the reasons the risk of disease spreading has increased. The commune’s total aquaculture area is 56.4 hectares, of which 54.1 hectares are white-leg shrimp ponds.
REMEDIAL MEASURES
To support local residents, the An Phu Commune People’s Committee is proposing that the province provide chemicals for disinfecting and sterilizing the ponds. At the same time, the locality will guide technical procedures for pond treatment, liming, and disinfection in accordance with the proper process before stocking.
Mr. Vo Van Hai, Director of the Quang Ngai Fisheries and Islands Sub-Department, said the agricultural sector is strengthening monitoring and sample testing to determine the cause, and has also issued a farming calendar to minimize risks.
Even so, to ensure long-term livelihood stability, farming households need to strictly follow technical procedures, thoroughly treat pond environments, and select high-quality seed in order to minimize disease outbreaks in future crops.
Le Khanh
Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/
