Pond prices of pangasius in Vietnam decreased in late May due to stagnating demand.
The rates at ponds in An Giang Province in Mekong Delta for fish sized between 0.8 and 1 kilogram ranged between VND 21,000 and VND 21,900 (USD 0.89 to USD 0.93, EUR 0.79 to EUR 0.82) per kilogram between 24 and 30 May, according to data from the Export and Import Department under Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The prices were down around 30 percent from last year and 6 to 8.4 percent lower than the previous week.
Data from Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) showed that the pond prices in Dong Thap Province in the same week were VND 21,000 to VND 22,500 (USD 0.89 to USD 0.96, EUR 0.79 to EUR 0.85) per kilogram for smaller-sized fish, ranging from 0.7 to 0.8 kilograms per fish.
The pond price fell to VND 20,500 (USD 0.87, EUR 0.77) per kilogram in Dong Thap in recent days, the lowest in two years, incurring losses of up to VND 3,500 (USD 0.15, EUR 0.13) per kilogram for farmers, the Saigon Giai Phong newspaper reported 9 June, quoting Nguyen Thanh Binh, head of Chau Thanh Seafood Cooperative in Dong Thap.
In the first four months, Vietnam exported 241,056 metric tons of pangasius, down 7 percent from the same period last year. The export volumes between January and April were worth nearly USD 613 million (EUR 542 million), slightly up 0.6 percent year-on-year, the Export and Import Department said.
The department forecast that pangasius exports to the United States, Japan, and Southeast Asia region are expected to rise in the coming months. Pangasius from Vietnam, however, is believed to face more competition in China as Chinese tilapia products, which have ceased being exported to the U.S. due to impacts of the ongoing trade war, are sold in increasing quantities to the Chinese domestic market.
