February 23, 2007

 

Vietnamese catfish farmers to boost production

 

 

Vietnamese catfish farmers in the Mekong Delta region are scrambling to increase production to augment a projected supply shortage due to a foreseen shortfall of raw materials despite the commodity's skyrocketing prices. 

 

Phan Van Danh, chairman of the An Giang Aquatic Produce Breeding and Processing told Vietnam News Service that recent tra and basa catfish prices--which have been on the rise since 2006--have reached VND17,000 (US$1.06) per kilogramme, posting an increase of 40 to 50 percent on the same period last year.

 

He said, however, that catfish processors are already consuming all available supplies, even immature fish, in a possible shortage of resources.

 

In An Giang Province, 10 seafood processing plants have been working at just 50 to 60 percent of capacity while several plants have allowed their workers to leave for the Tet holiday three or four days early.

 

Catfish farmers have been earning an average profit of VND5,000 (US$0.31) per kilogramme, said Danh.

 

He is anticipating a double production in a few years as producers are adding up fish ponds for more output.

 

Land prices for catfish and aquaculture ponds can be sold twice over its current price in the next two years because of expanded production, Danh noted. 

 

Danh said the area under catfish farms in the Mekong Delta was increasing dramatically. The Vietnam Association of Seafood Processors and Exporters (VASEP) tra and basa catfish output is expected to reach one million tonnes this year, a 25 percent increase over last year.

 

However, Nguyen Dinh Huan, Agifish An Giang Company's deputy director general, has warned that this unplanned expansion can cause serious environmental problems.

 

He urged local authorities to immediately build water supply systems to provide fresh, safe water for catfish farming.