Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - As one of the leading shrimp raisersin Vietnam, where seafood products are a key export, Viet-Uc Group andAquaEasy have announced an official commercial partnership, applying AItechnology in local shrimp ponds.

Under the partnership, the firm will deploy AquaEasy's AIsystems, i-feeders and ShrimpTalk in over 1,000 shrimp ponds. They said thepartnership could be a "role model for the shrimp farmers in Vietnam applyingsmart solutions to increase productivity, profitability, and sustainability ofthe shrimp farming industry."

According to agriculture experts, thousands of small family-run farms dominatethe Vietnamese shrimp industry.

AquaEasy's representative said: "It's often a challenge for these farmersto demonstrate environmental sustainability through eco-certification or ratingprogrammes because the current tools used to collect data, assess farmsustainability, and identify areas for improvement are often not well suitedfor small farms."

Deputy managing director of Viet-Uc Group Nguyen Cong Can, said: "Thepartnership with AquaEasy is a commitment from Viet-Uc Group to help shrimpfarmers in Vietnam by applying new technologies. It helps shrimp farmers savemore time and make more money with less risk. The use of technology is criticalto success in shrimp farming," said Vo Hoang Vu fromAquaEasy.

Vũ said as a spin-out from Bosch's innovation hub grow, AquaEasyaimed to reduce manual labour and eliminate subjective assessments whileimproving yield, productivity and environmental sustainability.

The start-up's systems provide accurate, real-time data with alerts andrecommendations displayed through a mobile app. Its technology is currentlycommercially deployed in Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam, and, according tothe company, it increases shrimp farmers' productivity by 30%.

Earlier, mobile digital technology was launched at Vietnam Shrimp Forum, aimingto solve the limitations of existing platforms in the Vietnamese shrimpmarket, helping businesses and associations develop the shrimpindustry effectively.

Tran Dinh Luan, director general of theDirectorate of Fisheries, told local media although the shrimpindustry has developed rapidly, it still faced many difficulties andchallenges. The farming environment has fluctuated, shrimp production costs arestill high and precarious, and the linkage and cooperation between actors inthe shrimp value chain are still fragmented and ineffective, negativelyaffecting product quality and traceability while reducing the competitivenessof Vietnamese shrimp internationally.

Local experts suggested the application should add a comment section andgive more information about input materials so that the parties in the shrimpchain can cooperate toward the sustainable development of the industry. 

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers(VASEP), local shrimp export turnover reached 2.3 billion USD in the firsthalf, an increase of 31% over the same period last year./.