EVALUATION OF TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL EFFICIENCY OF THE GIANT FRESHWATER PRAWN Macrobrachium rosenbergii CULTURE IN COCONUT PLANTATION DITCH IN THANH PHU DISTRICT, BEN TRE PROVINCE, VIETNAM

Abstract

The study was conducted from June to December 2021 to assess the technical – financial aspect and the existing advantages and difficulties of the giant freshwater prawn culture in coconut garden ditch culture by interviewing 32 farming households in Thanh Phu district, Ben Tre Province. The study results showed that the average area for each ditch was 0.38 ± 0.29 ha, with density stocking 4.15 ± 1.21 PL/m2. For prawns were harvested after over 8 months, the prawn yield was 421.08 ± 172.21 ton/ha/crop, the profit was 34.02 ± 14.02 million VND/ha/crop and the benefit ratio was 1.33 ± 0.56 times. The yield and the profits were affected by density stocking and nursing survival rate. Besides the advantages of labor resources, natural conditions, and ease and less risk of giant freshwater prawn culture; however, the system currently faces many difficulties, such as lower nursing survival rate, unguaranteed quality, and quantity of postlarvae, salinity intrusion, unstableproduct market. Therefore, in order to contribute to sustainable aquaculture development, the necessary solutions include (1) providing high quality and quantity of postlarvae; (2) using settling ponds to have active water; (3) building and improving infrastructure, and irrigation systems to prevent salinity intrusion; and (4) finding the product market.