Danish tech companies seizes the Vietnam aquaculture market

The fish farms opened in mid-May in Chan Thó. Here’s Esben Holm from the VIDATEC partnership (Photo: Jesper Heldbo, Aquacircle)

Two new systems for sustainable fish farming just opened in the Vietnam Mekong Delta. The systems stables the foothold for Danish companies and enhance export to the region while making fish production greener, Danish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states in a press release.

Fish farming in Vietnam is progressing in high pace but the traditional farming facilities that that are most prevalent in Vietnam still burdens environment and ressources. Therefore Danish pumps, oxygen meters, feeders and other environmental technology, that utilizes the ressources effectively and decreases damage on the environment, are in high demand.

The new systems are realized through EPA’s export partnership VIDATEC, that was established in 2012 to enhance Danish export.

“There’s a great potential for more Danish export of technology to Vietnam – with hundreds of millions DKK are expected to be made,” EPA states. A handful of Danish companies have already gained foothold on the Vietnamese market through the partnership and expects to stay in the country for the coming years, among others OxyGuard, Grundfos, DHI, RK-plast and AKVA Group.

“We are already seeing that Danish technology and production processes helps Vietnam producing a higher number of fish without compromising with the environment,” says Jesper Heldbo, secretary general at AquaCircle, the branch organization for suppliers of aqua tech in Denmark.

“The two new systems offers a space to present our technology and products at one of the worlds biggest markets for aquaculture technologies,” Heldbo explains. “We expect our products to be part of many new and modernized fish farms in years ahead.”

The partnership and its activities are sponsored by the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark’s Environmental Technological Development and Demonstration Programme (MUDP) and Danida’s Business Partnership. The projects have also resulted in Danish companies are now engaged in building a recirculated and environmental secured system for shrimp production in Vietnam.

Vietnam and China are the leading players in aquaculture in Asia. Coming from an almost none existing production in 1999 the Vietnamese fishery production exploded to more than 1.3 million tons in 2008.