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New Year fish prices a real catch for consumers
Households will be pleased to know that Vientiane fish farmers are unlikely to raise their prices over Lao New Year (Pi Mai Lao) as they are satisfied with the current market price.
The price of farmed fish reached a high of about 21,000 kip a kg in recent months due to competition from foreign fish breeders but has now dropped to 20,000 kip a kg, Lao Fish Farm Breeding Association President Mr. Kenchan Thairavan told Vientiane Times yesterday.
If traders buy farmed fish to sell in markets they can make a profit of 2,000-3,000 kip a kg, he said.
For many years, the price of fish has not been stable as the government has not fixed a price range in a bid to prevent price fluctuations, said Mr Kenchan.
The vast fluctuations in prices for farmed fish in the past have put many operators out of business.
The current price of 20,000 kip a kg is high despite a sufficient supply of fish for consumption in Vientiane, he said. The association can reduce prices to around 18,000 kip a kg if there are no foreign operated fish farms, as well as being able to ensure a stable price in both the dry and rainy seasons, Mr Kenchan said.
The association's members are able to supply more than 10 tonnes of fish a day to Vientiane markets. Member farmers have 700 cages on the Nam Ngum River, supplying adequate stock to meet demand in the capital.
In June last year some Vientiane fish breeders on the Mekong River were affected by dirty water during the wet season, causing the price of fish to fall to about 10,000-12,000 kip a kg as farmers sold all their stock in an effort to retain some capital and save their business.
A lot of fish died due to the water contamination last year, especially in Hadxaifong district, according to local farmers.
After the rainy season, the price of fish rose to about 16,000 kip a kg in October and then increased to 18,000 kip a month later month, and has since gradually inched towards the present mark of 20,000 kip a kg.
The cost of fish feed has also risen over the past year, said fish farmer Mr Sounsavanh Keosomphet.
Prices of all kinds of food products are increasing, and the high price of fish at present can help to establish sustainable fish breeding businesses in Laos and improve fish farmers' living conditions.
Low fish prices in past years due to more competition meant that many fish farmers closed down their operations and shifted to producing other goods, he said.
Most fish farmers in Laos still import fingerlings from neighbouring countries and fish prices would be lower if the country was able to breed its own fingerlings to supply fish farms.
ventiane times
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