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Suffering losses, billionaires become hired workers
A lot of tra fish pond owners in the west of the southern region, who once were praised as billionaires, now have to work as hired workers right on their own ponds to get money to pay debts.
Though the sun was blazing, Nguyen Van To in Hoa Hung Commune in Cai Be district in Tien Giang province, still tried to carry the bucket of fish feed to the pond. To tried to call fish with a stick. Just after five minutes, tra fish appeared on the water and ate the feed To sprayed.
“The two hectare pond is mine, but the fish in the pond belong to other people. My duty is taking care for the fish and breeding them,” To said.
He related that in 2008, he sold 300 tonnes of fish, but the money he got was not enough to pay the bank debt worth VND 400 million. To decided to leave the pond idle because he had no more capital for farming. However, earlier this year, he met a businessman who asked to lease the pond. The company pays for fish feed, medicine and other things, while To is responsible for breeding fish until the company harvests.
If everything goes smoothly, To will get VND 500 for every merchandise kilogram of fish. “The pond is expected to give 300 tonnes of fish, for which I will get VND 150 million, or VND 25 million a month. The money will bring money to me to help pay bank debts,” To said.
A lot of one-time billionaires have become hired workers in their homeland like To. Le Van Tien, the owner of Chau Thanh fish pond in Dong Thap province, said that he gets VND 500-600/kg for taking care for the fish. If the fish can be bred well, hired workers will get VND 100-150/kg more as a bonus at the harvesting. If not, they will not get the bonus or even have to compensate for died fish.
Meanwhile, other pond owners do not breed fish for other owners, but lease the ponds to investors. Tu Trung, in Lai Vung district in Dong Thap province, said that he has leased 4 hectares of ponds to get VND 1 billion a year.
Local seafood departments have reported that 40% of water surfaces have been left idle since a lot of farmers have lost all their money from the last crops and now they do not have money for reinvestment. As the result, local seafood processing companies have to jump on the bandwagon, spend money on aquaculture which can help them take initiative in materials.
Le Chi Binh, Deputy Chairman of the An Giang province’s Seafood Processing and Aquaculture Association said that the investment by seafood companies in developing material growing areas proves to be the only good solution for now. He said that this will help minimize the ratio of ponds left idle. Despite the loaning programs with preferential interest rates, farmers remain ineligible to get further loans as they still cannot pay bank debts after the recent loss of crops.
VietNamNet/SGTT
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