In Đồng Tháp, pangasius size 700-800g/pc is sold at 18,000-19,000 dong/kg while the production cost is 21,000-22,000 dong/kg, resulting in farmers suffering from great loss. Only one fourth of the total of local households related to shrimp cultivation earn some profit.
Exports to China, the biggest destination of Vietnamese pangasius, have seen a slump due to the covid-19 pandemic without full recovery. This has resulted in prices of pangasius material in the Mekong Delta deeply decreasing and farmers seriously suffering. Pangasius materials have not been harvested even though the harvest time has gone, making it difficult to sell; moreover, the salinity intrusion in the Mekong Delta at the peak season has resulted in many pangasius being infected with diseases.
According to the An Giang provincial Fisheries sub-department, the province stocks around 1,226ha of pangasius with an output of 430,000 tons. Since early 2020 nearly 930ha of pangasius has been stocked by districts but the slump in price has imposed challenges on local farmers. Many rivers in Bến Tre, Trà Vinh and Tiền Giang have salinity of 4‰ – 25‰, causing massive death of pangasius. The Ministry of Industry and Trade said that in the face of increasingly novel coronavirus in Europe, US, ASEAN and Middle East, the Governments will impose travel restrictions which will continue to affect Vietnam’s imports and exports.
VFM
