Shrimp die, farmers in dire straits

More than 650 shrimp farming households in Thua Thien-Hue province are bogged down in debt because all the shrimp farmed in 200 hectares of ponds here have died from a strange disease.

It is now the height of shrimp farming season, but the fields are deserted. Shrimp have died on a massive scale in 80 percent of shrimp farming areas, stamping out farmers’ hopes to repay debts.

The hottest topic of discussion among residents is the death of shrimp due to a strange disease.

Farmer Nguyen Thuy lamented that, with the lost shrimp crop, he does not know where he can earn money to pay his bank debts.

Another farmer, Le Van Tien, arrived at the shrimp ponds to look for leftover shrimp and fish to cook gruel for his family.

Tien finished high school already, but he could not take university entrance exams because he did not have money. Tien hoped that the shrimp ponds would bring enough money to take exams next year, but now these dreams are gone.

“I think that I will leave for the south to look for a job. I have nothing to do now here in the hamlet. The shrimp have all died,” Tien shrugged.

Vo Phi Sinh has many years of experience in shrimp farming and has also suffered a bitter failure this year. His shrimp farmed in one hectare of a pond have all died. “I do not know where to go and what to do to earn a living,” he remarked.

According to Nguyen Bac, Chair of Phu Xuan People’s Committee, 200 hectares of shrimp ponds in the commune have suffered from an epidemic and 100 percent of the shrimp have died.

“Dead shrimp have created a four billion dong loss for farmers who have been bogged down in difficulties already,” Bac calculated. He added that no one would dare resume shrimp farming and that the ponds will be left idle.

Bac estimated that there are 654 shrimp farming households in Phu Xuan commune, many of which have fallen into insolvency. The total debt of the households is 50 billion dong, meaning that every resident bears 10-20 million dong in debt.

“The lowest debt of a household is 50 million dong, while the highest level is 400 million dong,” Bac reported.

Tien phong

Tags: Vietnam shrimp