As of late November, brackish water shrimp output is slightly lower by 0.3% compared to the same period, but the unharvested area is over 6,000 hectares. The shrimp export turnover is expected to reach over 900 million USD.
According to a report by the Sóc Trăng provincial Department of Fisheries, by this time, the area of brackish water shrimp has reached 52,323.9 hectares, exceeding the plan by 2.6%, and the harvested output is estimated at 200,817.1 tons, achieving 97.2% of the plan and slightly lower by 0.3% compared to the same period.
Currently, Sóc Trăng still has 6,312.6 hectares of shrimp area unharvested, so the province is confident that the brackish water shrimp production until the end of the year will reach 210,000 tons, surpassing the plan by 1.6% and increasing by 4.48% compared to 2022.
Shrimp farming in brackish water in 2023 faced many challenges due to weather conditions; besides, the prices of raw shrimp continuously decreased, while the input costs were high. However, both the area and production targets exceeded the plan.
Nevertheless, the export turnover has declined compared to the previous year and the plan, reaching only over 900 million USD. According to Hồ Quốc Lực, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sao Ta Food Joint Stock Company, it was due to the inflation, global economic downturn, and the increasing supply of cheap shrimp from Ecuador, making the sales Vietnamese shrimp more challenging. However, he noted that compared to the whole industry, the decline in export turnover of Sóc Trăng’s shrimp is somewhat milder.
Võ Văn Phục, General Director of Vietnam Clean Seafood Joint Stock Company, assessed that shrimp farming in brackish water in Soc Trang in 2023 was quite successful. However, this success is mainly reported from some experienced farmers and farms with effective solutions, while others suffer significant losses.
Discussing the shrimp export situation further, Phục stated, “We always focus on sustainable development strategies: product, market, customer… This strategy has helped the company build a brand; thus regardless of disease or economic crisis, we have loyal customers and our factory keeps operating during challenging periods, such as in 2023.”
VFM
