CAN THO – The price decline of unprocessed tra fish in the Mekong Delta has brought farmers a loss of VND4,000-6,000 per kilo.
Tra fish farmers incur huge losses on price drop
By Trung Chanh - The Saigon Times Daily
 |
| A farmer is feeding his tra fish. The slide in material tra fish prices causes more difficulties for farmers - Photo: Trung Chanh |
CAN THO – The price decline of unprocessed tra fish in the Mekong Delta has brought farmers a loss of VND4,000-6,000 per kilo.
According to the An Giang Fishery Association (AFA), seafood exporters in An Giang Province are buying export-quality raw tra fish at VND20,000-22,500 per kilo, while fish of lower grade is priced at VND18,000-19,000 a kilo.
In Dong Thap, Can Tho and Vinh Long, material tra fish prices are hovering around VND19,000-22,000 per kilo, down VND500-2,000 a kilo against two weeks ago. Compared to the highs months ago, the price has tumbled by nearly VND10,000 a kilo.
In explaining the tra fish price drop, AFA vice chairman Le Chi Binh said Vietnam’s tra fish export is slowing down as processors are only buying fish for stockpiling as exports have slumped.
Nguyen Huu Nguyen, a tra fish grower in An Giang’s Chau Phu District, who is also a member of AFA, said not only material fish prices but fish breed prices are also plunging. The breeder fish now sell for around VND25,000 per kilo.