Farmers abandon tra breeding due to high costs

The area under tra fish farming in southernmost Ca Mau Province has grown smaller as more farmers face higher input costs.

According to the province’s Seafood Association, only 738ha are under tra fish breeding, a reduction of more than 100ha compared to previous years.

This has occurred even though tra fish prices this year increased to VND24,000-VND25,000 per kilo compared to VND16,800 in the same period last year, the association said.

Le Hong Duc, chairman of the Seafood Association of Chau Thanh District, said the area for tra fish breeding in his district had fallen by 40 per cent this year.

Many farmers had abandoned breeding because they feared unstable prices and outlets.

Feed prices had risen more than 40 per cent, and the price of baby fish had also gone up, creating more pressure on farmers, he said.

As a result, there would be a severe shortage of tra fish materials this year, said Nguyen Trang Su, deputy chairman of the People’s Committee of Hong Ngu District.

He called on the Government to adopt appropriate policies to ensure stable outlets for fish as well as more favourable conditions for farmers to obtain bank loans.

They said demand on the world market would continue to increase and international supply was likely to decrease.

The experts expected tuna exports to increase in value to $300 million this year. Meanwhile, exports are likely to surge to $115 million for crab and to $490 million for mollusc.

“This year, besides diversifying products, local seafood producers and exporters should focus on improving the quality of their products and developing trademarks,” said Nguyen Minh Tam, an official at the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers.

The ministry said the sector should make adequate investments in qualified and hygienic breeding to ensure sufficient supply and to further develop key products such as shrimp, tra and tuna.

Adequate overseas trade promotions, effective market predictions and closer links among domestic seafood processors should also be enhanced, said the ministry.

Viet Nam’s seafood exports ranked sixth among the world’s 10 leading seafood exporters and fifth in Asia behind mailand China, India, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Seafood exports increased by 54.4 per cent year on year during the first two months of 2011, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Seafood Department.

In February, the export value of seafood reached $400 million, $75 million higher than figures from the previous month, the department said.

Last year, the country’s seafood export values reached $4.94 billion, an increase of 16.3 per cent on the previous year. The increase has likely been caused by the Government’s policies that support fishermen and encourage them to use modern processing and preservation technology.

Last year, tuna sales increased by 48.9 per cent in volume and 59.9 per cent in value to 83,800 tonnes and $293 million, respectively. The commodity was exported to 91 markets in the world.

Tags: Vietnam Tra fish exports