Ca Mau's Shrimp Industry Goes Green & Digital
Ca Mau is reshaping its shrimp industry through high-tech farming, green production and digital governance in accordance with Politburo Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, opening up a sustainable growth path for the country’s shrimp hub.
As dawn rises in the southernmost province of Ca Mau, thousands of waterwheels turn in vast shrimp ponds, now a symbol of the province’s shrimp-farming. Behind this scene is the transformation of an industry where science, technology and digital transformation are reshaping production toward a greener and more sustainable growth.
With more than 424,000ha, which make up nearly 40% of Vietnam’s total shrimp-farming area, Ca Mau is the country’s largest shrimp hub, annually producing about 566,000 tons of shrimp and earning around 2.3 billion US dollars from shrimp exports, almost half of Vietnam’s total shrimp export value.
Climate change, disease outbreaks and increasingly strict international standards have led the shrimp industry to renew its growth model, seeing science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as key drivers of growth.
In major farming areas such as Dam Doi, Cai Nuoc, Nam Can and Ngoc Hien, many farmers have applied hi-tech, using smart phones to monitor water quality, pH levels, dissolved oxygen and temperature, and operating waterwheels and feeding systems automatically.
Data on shrimp breeds, feed and farming practices have also been digitized, making it easier to trace products and meet the requirements of export markets. Technology not only helps reduce costs and risks but also improves the transparency and traceability of exported shrimp.
Apart from digital transformation, the industry is shifting toward greener production. Recirculating farming systems, biosafety technologies and ecological shrimp farming beneath mangrove canopies are being expanded in Ca Mau. These models help protect ecosystems, reduce emissions and produce shrimp meeting international standards such as Naturland, EU Organic and ASC, giving Ca Mau shrimp greater value and stronger competitiveness in global markets.
Ca Mau has planned five high-tech shrimp farming zones covering about 3,900ha, involving 27 companies and more than 6,000 farming households.
Shrimp processing and export plants have also invested in automated production lines, smart cold-storage facilities, traceability systems and digital management. AI, the Internet of Things (IoT) and automation are boosting productivity, improving quality control, saving energy and allowing Ca Mau shrimp to meet global market requirements.
Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau People’s Committee Ngo Vu Thang believed green transformation powered by digital technology is inevitable. It will help the province take advantage of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, boost productivity, use resources more efficiently and reduce environmental impacts.
The transformation is now visible in the province’s shrimp farms, processing plants and export shipments. Cooperation among local authorities, businesses, scientists and farmers is building a modern production ecosystem, where technology reduces risks and boosts productivity for farmers while enabling businesses to add greater value to their products.
In the southernmost region, the spinning waterwheels of shrimp ponds symbolize the transformation of a key industry in Ca Mau where science, technology and innovation are driving a green and sustainable growth.
Story: Son Nghia Photos: Le Minh/VNP & Huynh Lam