Farm gate prices for pangasius in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta have climbed to VND 27,000 (USD 1.19, EUR 1.11) per kg, representing the highest level achieved in recent years.
The peak level was confirmed last week at a seminar in Can Tho City, but Dr. Vo Hung Dung, standing deputy chairman of the Vietnam Pangasius Association, said it was still difficult to forecast future price movements because of a sharp reduction in the availability of juvenile pangasius for on-growing. This, he said, is because the losses encountered by many of the country’s pangasius farmers in recent years has seen many switch to alternative species.
According to local reports, Dung has advised pangasius farmers to make the most of the high prices.
The Vietnam Pangasius Association said farmers in the Mekong Delta allocated 739 hectares of to pangasius farming and harvested 672 hectares in the first-quarter, resulting in an output of 210,000 metric tons (MT).
Last year, the total fish farming area dedicated to pangasius in the region declined to around 3,400 hectares with output reaching 1 million MT.
Vietnam’s pangasius exports achieved sales totaling USD 1.7 billion (EUR 1.6 billion) in 2016, an increase of 9.6 percent compared with the previous year, with strong growth in both the U.S. and China markets.
