According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Mekong Delta has 5,470 hectares under pangasius breeding and farmers have harvested 3,844 hectares with an average 279 tons per hectare, a year-on-year decrease of 26 tons per hectare.
The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) announced that currently around 160 pangasius exporters operate in the country, a decrease of 30 percent compared to 2011.
Among them, only 20 percent are maintaining steady operations while others are working sporadically.
In Dong Thap Province, Dinh Thi Huong, owner of 10 acres of pangasius breeding area in Tan Cong Chi Commune in Tan Hong District, is very disappointed over the fall in price after the fish sold for VND 21,000 per kilogram, while she has to spend VND 300 million (USD 19,215) per day on feed. She suffers a huge loss by selling fish but she has no choice as she needs the money for feed.
