Adapting to changes in lobster procurement policies.

However, lobster farming isn't always easy. There were times when traders didn't come to buy lobsters, causing Mr. Quan difficulties and pressure due to rising feed costs and heavy bank interest payments.

According to Mr. Quan, for many years, the main market for lobster has been China. This year, however, China unexpectedly stopped importing spiny lobsters, citing amendments to its wildlife protection law, which includes a ban on the trade of wild spiny lobsters.

The country with the world's largest population introduced an unexpected policy that caught lobster farmers in Khanh Hoa off guard. Immediately, lobster prices plummeted on the market, and no traders came to buy them.

Besides the changes in China's lobster purchasing policy, lobster farming in recent times has remained largely unregulated, fragmented, and lacking coordination.

Adapting to the changing market of a billion people.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development , China accounts for 98-99% of Vietnam's lobster export market. In May 2023, China amended its wildlife protection law, which prohibits the hunting of animals on the endangered species list issued in 2021.

Accordingly, farmed spiny lobsters exported to China must meet conditions such as not being caught directly from the sea, having clear evidence of the farming process, and the broodstock must be F2 generation.

In addition, importers must obtain a "Wildlife Protection" permit from the Fisheries Bureau (Ministry of Agriculture of China)...

Following the change in your policy on lobster procurement, Vietnam is currently reviewing the legal procedures and mechanisms to provide guidance for people and businesses to implement.

Among the many ways to adapt to changes in lobster procurement from China, Vietnam has been researching the possibility of officially importing lobster juveniles from Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia.

Recently, a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, along with several domestic seafood businesses, including those based in Khanh Hoa province, made a working trip to Bali, Indonesia.

The leaders of the two ministries agreed to promptly implement cooperation activities in aquaculture. Minister Sakti Trenggono called on Vietnamese investors to invest in aquaculture in Indonesia, especially in the farming of tuna, seaweed, and lobster larvae.

Regarding lobster larvae, the specialized agencies of the two Ministries will soon agree on the quarantine certificate, information, updates on the disease situation, and disease control; Indonesia will soon open its doors to exporting lobster larvae to Vietnam.

One of the businesses present at the aforementioned meeting was the representative of Pacific Lobster Seed Import-Export Co., Ltd. (headquartered at 1210 Xuan Ninh Hamlet, Cam Phuc Nam Ward, Cam Ranh City, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam) - a pioneering enterprise that has invested systematically in bringing lobster seeds from Indonesia to Vietnam.

According to this company, in order to ensure the quality of lobster larvae supplied to farmers, it is necessary to organize the licensing of official imports, while also strictly controlling the source of the larvae and bringing them to storage facilities for quarantine.

"Choosing to purchase high-quality, healthy lobster larvae with quarantine certificates and disease testing results as required is a long-term solution that helps the lobster farming industry develop sustainably," shared a representative from Pacific Lobster Larva Import-Export Co., Ltd.