August 23, 2018

Mekong Delta's tra fish exports revenue totals to US$1.2 billion
 

Export turnover of tra fish have reached US$1.2 billion in the first seven months in Mekong Delta, Vietnam, said the Directorate of Fisheries during a conference on Monday, jointly held bythe Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and People's Committee of An Giang province to review fish farming and export over the months as well as to implement a project to breed new tra fish.

An increase of 19.3% year-on-year, the Directorate also noted that China, the US and EU were mainly the largest exporters of Vietnamese tra fish, followed by ASEAN, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and UAE.

Export revenue of tra fish to China, the US and EU were US$289.8 million, US$255.33 million and US$139.13 million respectively.

The Directorate also added that breeders in the Mekong Delta have raised fishes in 4,033 hectares of farms with an aquaculture yield of 814,086 tonnes.

By the of July 2018, fish farmers increased fish breeding in 3,587 hectares of farms in An Giang, Dong Thap and Long An provinces.

However, the Directorate also explained that fish farmers are facing several challenges in the area of fish production.

For instance, fish farmers in Long An who converted their paddy field into a fish pond, do not fully understanding the specific raising techniques, resulting in diseased fish and low-quality fish.

Additionally, fish exports received negative feedback from the EU, strict quality requirements in certain markets. Thus, fish farms must put in place measures to keep fish production and quality in check to maintain a good Vietnamese tra fish brand.

The Vietnam Pangasius Association proposed support for enterprises to expand markets along with building the brand name for high-quality Vietnamese tra fish. To add on, a logistics centre for the fish industry in Mekong Delta, should be set up in Can Tho City to ensure quality checks when taking part in supply chains in China and Singapore.

As for the project, its aim is to produce high-quality fish for the increasing demands from breeders in the Mekong Delta and to grow the pangasius sector sustainably to satisfy local and international demands and requirements in future, said the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vu Van Tam.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nguyen Xuan Cuong also emphasised that 2018 will be the breakthrough year with a possible turnover of US$2 billion.

In order to achieve this, the sector should adopt high technologies and diversify their products while finding new export markets. The link between farmers and enterprises play an important role to increase export value in the future, Minister Cuong concluded.