Application of AI in Vietnamese shrimp farms

Under the agreement, the company will use AquaEasy's AI systems, i-feeders, and ShrimpTalk in more than 1,000 shrimp ponds. According to them, the collaboration could serve as a "role model for the shrimp farmers in Vietnam applying smart solutions to increase productivity, profitability, and sustainability of the shrimp farming industry."

Experts in agriculture claim that the Vietnamese shrimp industry is dominated by thousands of small, family-run farms.

"It's often a challenge for these farmers to demonstrate environmental sustainability through eco-certification or rating programmes because the current tools used to collect data, assess farm sustainability, and identify areas for improvement are often not well suited for small farms." said an AquaEasy representative.

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

AquaEasy, according to Vu, is a spin-off from Bosch's innovation hub that aims to reduce manual labor and eliminate subjective evaluations while increasing yield, productivity, and environmental sustainability.

The startup's systems display accurate, real-time data with alerts and recommendations via a mobile application. Its technology is currently commercially deployed in Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam, and according to the company, it increases the productivity of shrimp farmers by 30%.

Prior to this, mobile digital technology was introduced at the Vietnam Shrimp Forum with the goal of resolving the drawbacks of the market's current platforms and assisting organizations and businesses in developing the shrimp sector successfully.

Despite the shrimp industry's rapid growth, Tran Dinh Luan, director general of the Directorate of Fisheries, told local media that the sector still faced numerous obstacles and challenges. The farming environment has fluctuated, shrimp production costs remain high and precarious, and the linkage and cooperation between actors in the shrimp value chain remain fragmented and ineffective, which has a negative impact on product quality and traceability and reduces the international competitiveness of Vietnamese shrimp.

Local experts suggested that the application should include a comment section and provide more information about input materials so that all parties in the shrimp supply chain can work together for the industry's sustainable growth.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), local shrimp exports reached $2.3 billion in the first half of the year, a 31 percent increase over the same period in the previous year.