Currently, in Tien Giang, the price of catfish is at a high level, about 30,000 VND/kg, an increase of more than 10,000 VND/kg compared to the end of last year.
According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Son, in Hoa Hung commune, Cai Be district, with this price, farmers earn about VND 5,000/kg.
However, Mr. Son said that the current supply is not much. In the past years, the price of catfish was low, so many households have to pause or switch to other more efficient production models.
Mr. Son’s family has spent dozens of years with catfish farming for export and still trying to pursue this profession. Now, he has two ponds with a total area of about 2,000m2 of water surface. In the coming days, the fish production of his family is about 200 tonnes.
Catfish price has recovered and risen sharply which brings the joyfulness to farmers. However, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Son assessed that catfish farming in Tien Giang still has many unpredictable risks due to the increase in the price of agricultural materials, feed, fuel, and other essential goods in the past days.
Catfish price has risen sharply which brings the joyfulness to farmers. (Photo: Vietnam News Agency)
Mr. Dang Van Hung – The Chairman of Hoa Hung commune, Cai Be district, said:
“Catfish farming in Hoa Hung commune has encountered many difficulties. In previous years, catfish prices were too low, farmers were heavily lost, so many households had to pause or move to other jobs for a living. Although the catfish price has increased, the price of food has also increased, from 10-20% compared to the previous year. Therefore, farmers still face many challenges.”
According to Mr. Hung, to develop the catfish farming for export sustainably, farmers must be associated with enterprises to stabilize product inputs, outputs, and benefits for farmers.
Tien Giang currently has about 70 hectares of catfish farming for export mostly concentrated in Cai Lau and Cai Be districts. Hoa Hung commune, Cai Be district is the locality with the largest catfish farming water surface area in Tien Giang province. In Hoa Hung commune, there are dozens of households with many years of catfish farming on a total area of about 15 hectares.
In previous years, due to the unstable price and many losses, the actual farming area decreased sharply. Currently, although the price of catfish is improving, many households have not started the new farming season due to their concerns about the output.
To recover and develop the catfish farming in Tien Giang sustainably, creating stable sources of agricultural products for consumption and processing, it is necessary to involve all sectors with appropriate and feasible solutions.