December 30, 2010

 

Vietnam to decrease fish exports

 

 

Vietnam, which is the origin for 99.9% of tra and basa fish exports, intends to decrease its outbound shipments of the fish by 45% from this year's 640,000 tonnes to some 360,000 tonnes next year, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (Vasep).

 

Duong Ngoc Minh, Vice Chairman of Vasep, said that the production of tra and basa would decrease in 2011 due to falling profit margins and capital shortages. Therefore, the association is targeting an export volume of just 360,000 tonnes worth an estimated amount of US$1 billion next year, a reduction of US$400 million from this year.

 

Minh said the association based its forecast on the current farming situation as well as fish processors' difficulty in accessing bank loans.

 

"Over the past two years, banks have turned their backs on fish farmers and processors. Whether the development of these types of Vietnamese catfish will be sustained or not largely depends on the support of banks," Minh said.

 

Nguyen Thanh Bien, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, acknowledged that capital was a source of impediment for fish farmers and traders.

 

In 2011, the biggest challenge which the country face will continue to be the financial-monetary issue, according to Bien. "Credit growth will be lower than this year because the government wants to ensure macroeconomic stability and fight inflation. Therefore, the interest rate will stay high, at least in the first few months of 2011, he said.

 

Thi Tuong Lan, deputy general secretary of Vasep, said that Vietnam exported some 640,000 tonnes of tra and basa fish products in 2010. However, the fish stock is depleting due to unfavourable farming and trading conditions. Hence, the volume for next year will fall sharply, she said.

 

Vasep estimates that out of the 360,000 tonnes of fish products targeted for next year, 210,000 will be given to the European market and 40,000 to the US market.

 

Vietnam is exporting tra and basa fish fillets to 163 countries and territories worldwide and it is the source of 99.9% of tra and basa fish exports, according to WWF.
 

The second Fisheries Research Institute will transfer 15,000 breeder fish of the new-strain tra and basa from early next month to the fishery strain centres of six provinces in the Mekong Delta to help improve productivity in the region.

 

Nguyen Van Sang, deputy director of the institute, said that the batch is part of the total 100,000 breeder fish that would be given to provincial fisheries centres this year, which he said would be sufficient to supply fish offspring for farmers.

 

The new fish strains are said to grow faster and have a higher proportion of fillets, thus, yielding higher values for farmers.