March 6, 2013

Vietnam tra fish organisation established on Mar 2

The Vietnam Tra Fish Association ( VTFA) is established in the southern Mekong delta of An Giang province, Vietnam, last week, and seeks to defend farmers' legitimate rights and encourage fair competition, as well as improving the development of the tra fish breeding industry.

VTFA has now 143 members from provinces and cities nationwide. Areas under tra fish breeding in the Mekong delta is about 6,000 hectares, mainly along the Tien and Hau rivers.

The association targets an output of 1.2 million to 1.5 million tonnes of tra fish products for export and about 150,000 tonnes for domestic consumption this year. The export value is expected to reach US$1.8 million to US$2.25 billion. About 23,000 jobs will also be created.

Last year, Vietnam receives US$6.15 billion from seafood exports, of which over US$1.74 billion came from tra fish exports, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Vietnamese tra fish exports are available in more than 140 countries and regions, with the EU accounting for 24.4% of the market share, the US at 20.5%, and the other member countries of Association of Southeast Asian Nations at 6.3%.