KHANH HOA (VNS) – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recently decided that 2,079 new off-shore fishing ships and 205 logistics ships will be built under a new decree on offshore fishing.
However, representatives of many localities told a conference held yesterday to implement a new decree on fishing that the number still did not meet the demand of fishermen.
Participants also said more attention should be paid to the development of infrastructure for fisheries, including aquacultural areas at sea and breeding facilities, as well as fishery logistic services and storm shelters.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh yesterday chaired the conference in the coastal province of Khanh Hoa.
More than 300 delegates from sectors, 28 coastal localities, fishing communities and the ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development and Finance presented draft circulars guiding the implementation of Decree 76/2014/ND-CP.
The circulars consist of regulations on various issues, including technical requirements on fishing vessels as well as preferential tax and insurance policies for fishermen.
According to the State Bank of Viet Nam, five commercial banks have pledged about VND14 trillion (US$658 million) in loans for organisations and individuals wishing to build new vessels or upgrade existing craft under Decree 97, which will become effective on August 25.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said that the number of fishing vessels was decided based on surveys of marine reserves and the capacity of the nation’s fishing fleets.
According to Deputy Prime Minister Ninh, the decree provides a set of basic policies to encourage fishermen to build high-capacity, steel ships capable of fishing offshore.
This can produce better incomes and also help protect the country’s territorial waters.
The decree also gives priority to the building of fishery logistics vessels for the effective operation of offshore catching fleets.
The deputy PM said Decree 76 had been built carefully based on fishermen’s opinions, field surveys, and lessons drawn from the implementation of previous decrees.
He added that the Government would review the implementation of the decree in late 2016 to draw experience for the next years. – VNS
Đăng ký: VietNam News
