September 18, 2012
Vietnam's Mekong Delta province has exported 377,000 tonnes of tra fish to 133 countries and territories across the world worth US$1.1 billion.
This represents a drop of 3.2% against the same period last year, according to the Mekong Delta's steering committee for tra fish production and consumption.
The US, EU and ASEAN currently consume 59% of the region's total tra fish exports. This year the region has produced 833,000 tonnes of tra fish, which were reared in over 3,000 hectares of fish farms, with an average productivity of 265 tonnes per hectare.
The acreage of fish farms has increased by 66% and productivity is up 25 tonnes per hectare on-year. However, the sector is facing a wide range of difficulties including a decline in prices since the end of March this year and a shortage of capital.
To deal with these difficulties, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has instructed the Mekong Delta to retain a minimum of 5,500 hectares for breeding this year. It is essential for regional provinces to pay more attention to the quality of the fry and the fish food when breeding, while developing the market for tra fish.
The ministry has also proposed that the Government introduces a series of supportive measures for businesses, including extending the deadlines on loans and providing businesses that have capital difficulties with access to loans.
