Quang Nam shrimp farmers mired in debt

Two consecutive harvest failures have left 2,200 shrimp farming households bankrupt in a single hamlet in the central province of Quang Nam.

Local authorities said Monday that 1,300 shrimp farmers from the Tam Hoa Commune in Nui Thanh District owed approximately VND12 billion (US$726,000) to local banks, shrimp fry and feed suppliers.

The harvest failures are the result of disease spreading over 540 hectares of shrimp ponds and were worsened by the competitive price of white leg shrimp over the black tiger prawn, the authorities said.

The commune People’s Committee said they have sought help from local banks to deal with a situation where several shrimp ponds are left vacant and households are caught in debt of VND40-50 million ($2,400-3,000) each.

More than 200 ponds in the main black tiger prawn breeding areas of Quang Nam Province including Tam Hoa and some hamlets in Dien Ban District have been left unused this season.

Thanhnien

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