June 26, 2012

Mekong Delta's tra fish farmers experience losses on price drop

Tra fish farmers in the Mekong Delta have incurred losses of VND4,000-6,000 (US$0.19-0.29) per kilogramme due to unprocessed tra fish price decline.

According to the An Giang Fishery Association (AFA), seafood exporters in An Giang Province are buying export-quality raw Tra fish at VND20,000-22,500 (US$0.96-1.08) per kilogramme, while fish of lower grade is priced at VND18,000-19,000 (US$0.86-0.91) a kilogramme.

In Dong Thap, Can Tho and Vinh Long, material Tra fish prices are hovering around VND19,000-22,000 (US$0.91-1.06) per kilogramme, down VND500-2,000 (US$0.02-0.10) a kilogramme against two weeks ago. Compared to the highs months ago, the price has tumbled by nearly VND10,000 (US$0.48) a kilogramme.

In explaining the Tra fish price drop, AFA Vice Chairman Le Chi Binh said Vietnam's Tra fish export is slowing down as processors are only buying fish for stockpiling as exports have slumped.

Nguyen Huu Nguyen, a Tra fish grower in An Giang's Chau Phu District, who is also a member of AFA, said not only material fish prices but fish breed prices are also plunging. The breeder fish now sell for around VND25,000 (US$1.20) per kilogramme.

Vietnam's fishery sector requires VND60,857 billion (US$2.9 million) to implement its development strategy to 2020, claimed participants in a seminar in Hanoi on June 22.

Of this figure, VND30,000 billion (US$1.4 million) will be allocated to aquaculture breeding activities; VND24,257 billion (US$ 1.2 million) to seafood processing which will see the introduction of modern technologies; and VND6,600 billion (US$317,000) to seafood exploitation to develop off-shore fishing.