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Catfish breeders urged to organise
A Viet Nam Tra Catfish Association should be established to help farmers meet international quality standards and expand their export markets, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said at a recent conference held in the southern city of Can Tho in the Mekong Delta.
Phat asked the Viet Nam Seafood Exporters and Producers Association (VASEP) to set up the association.
The conference was organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in collaboration with VASEP.
Nguyen Van Duong, vice chairman of the People's Committee of the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, said an association of this kind could offer accurate information about markets and help farmers manage production and improve quality.
He said the association should develop certain sanctions on production and exports to help farmers and businesses avoid anti-dumping lawsuits.
Duong Ngoc Minh, general director of Hung Vuong Seafood Joint Stock Co, said in the first six months of the year export turnover for tra catfish reached more than US$630 million and was expected to rise to $1.4 billion by the end of the year.
Exports to markets such as Russia, the US, South America and Brazil have seen a positive growth rate.
However, prices for tra catfish fell from $2.28 per kilo last year to $2.13 per kilo this year. The domestic price also fell by VND500-1,000 per kilo, depending on the locality.
Conference attendees discussed the drop in ha of tra catfish farming areas.
Previously, the total area for breeding tra catfish in 10 provinces of the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta was 6,000ha, but fell to 3,749ha by the end of June.
Dong Thap Province has the largest area, with 1,300ha; An Giang Province, 1,040ha; and Kien Giang Province, 32ha.
Experts said the drop occurred because demand had fallen and feed prices had risen five times since the end of last year, by VND1,000-1,200 per kilo, resulting in significant losses for farmers.
To resolve any current problems, participants said demand-supply reviews and forecasts were necessary to help prices reach reasonable levels for farmers and businesses.
Nguyen Huu Dung, deputy chairman of VASEP, proposed that the State create more promotions and offer financial support to help farmers adopt international standards certificates such as the GlobalGAP.
Dung also proposed that MARD consider the establishment of a Price Stabilisation and Quality Protection Fund to help catfish farmers apply international standards.
Phat noted that such a fund would help the sustainable development of the tra catfish industry.
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