Farmers harvest tra fish in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) - The price oftra fish in the Mekong Delta has risen to its highest price over the last 20years, leading to high profits for local farmers.
With the price at 27,000 - 29,000 VND (1.2– 1.3 USD) a kilo last month, farmers earned a profit of 4,000 – 6,000 VND akilo, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’sDirectorate of Fisheries.
In previous years, tra fish farmers facedlow prices and sales.
However, last year, farmers made a goodprofit because of the high price and many sales, according to a representativeof the Chau Thanh district Tra Fish Breeding Co-operative in Dong Thap province.
The price of tra fish often falls inDecember because exporters normally complete their export contracts during thatmonth.
Ho Kim Thoa, a tra fish farmer in Dong Thapprovince’s Hong Ngu district, said this was the first time the price of trafish had increased in December.
The price of tra fish is expected to remainhigh because the output in the Delta has not increased much and exports willcontinue to be strong.
Farmer Huynh Quang Khap in An Giang province’sChau Phu district said he had sold two ponds worth of tra fish at a price of 28,500VND a kilo.
“In recent years, the price of tra fishfluctuated, causing heavy losses for farmers. The price of tra fish increased,but not many farmers had fish to sell,” he said.
Nguyen Tan Phong, director of the Dai ThangFisheries Co-operative in Hau Giang province’s Nga Bay town, said hisco-operative had sold 200 tonnes of tra fish for 28,500 VND a kilo.
The production cost of tra fish is about 22,000VND a kilo, he said.
Last year, the Delta had about 6,078 ha oftra fish with an output of 1.25 million tonnes, up 3.1 percent in breedingareas and 5.4 percent in output against the previous year.
Nguyen Van Cong, director of the Dong Thap provinceDepartment of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province’s tra fishbreeding area covered 1,500 ha with an output of 400,000 tonnes last year,leading the Delta in tra fish breeding.
Dong Thap has improved the quality of trafish and called on farmers to cooperate with tra fish processors to breed thefish, he said.
More than 60 percent of the province’s trafish breeding area is bred under Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards,he added. With these measures, most farmers and processors have madeprofits.
The country’s tra fish exports reached 1.8billion USD last year, up 4 percent against 2016, according to the Việt NamAssociation of Seafood Exporters and Producers.
China, the US and the EU are the country’slargest tra fish importers. - VNA
With the price at 27,000 - 29,000 VND (1.2– 1.3 USD) a kilo last month, farmers earned a profit of 4,000 – 6,000 VND akilo, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’sDirectorate of Fisheries.
In previous years, tra fish farmers facedlow prices and sales.
However, last year, farmers made a goodprofit because of the high price and many sales, according to a representativeof the Chau Thanh district Tra Fish Breeding Co-operative in Dong Thap province.
The price of tra fish often falls inDecember because exporters normally complete their export contracts during thatmonth.
Ho Kim Thoa, a tra fish farmer in Dong Thapprovince’s Hong Ngu district, said this was the first time the price of trafish had increased in December.
The price of tra fish is expected to remainhigh because the output in the Delta has not increased much and exports willcontinue to be strong.
Farmer Huynh Quang Khap in An Giang province’sChau Phu district said he had sold two ponds worth of tra fish at a price of 28,500VND a kilo.
“In recent years, the price of tra fishfluctuated, causing heavy losses for farmers. The price of tra fish increased,but not many farmers had fish to sell,” he said.
Nguyen Tan Phong, director of the Dai ThangFisheries Co-operative in Hau Giang province’s Nga Bay town, said hisco-operative had sold 200 tonnes of tra fish for 28,500 VND a kilo.
The production cost of tra fish is about 22,000VND a kilo, he said.
Last year, the Delta had about 6,078 ha oftra fish with an output of 1.25 million tonnes, up 3.1 percent in breedingareas and 5.4 percent in output against the previous year.
Nguyen Van Cong, director of the Dong Thap provinceDepartment of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province’s tra fishbreeding area covered 1,500 ha with an output of 400,000 tonnes last year,leading the Delta in tra fish breeding.
Dong Thap has improved the quality of trafish and called on farmers to cooperate with tra fish processors to breed thefish, he said.
More than 60 percent of the province’s trafish breeding area is bred under Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards,he added. With these measures, most farmers and processors have madeprofits.
The country’s tra fish exports reached 1.8billion USD last year, up 4 percent against 2016, according to the Việt NamAssociation of Seafood Exporters and Producers.
China, the US and the EU are the country’slargest tra fish importers. - VNA
VNA
