Since October 2023, prices of snakehead fish in some districts of Kiên Giang province have dropped by 13,000 – 20,000 VND/kg, causing concern among farmers.
Currently, the selling price of hybrid snakehead fish at ponds has decreased from 45,000 VND/kg to 28,000 – 30,000 VND/kg, and giant snakehead fish has dropped from 70,000 VND/kg to 52,000 – 53,000 VND/kg.
Lê Tuấn Kiệt from Châu Thành district (Kiên Giang) stated, “The price of giant snakehead fish, type 1, weighing from 1 – 3.5kg/fish, has now decreased to 52,000 VND/kg. Despite not incurring losses, the profit is minimal. I still have about 30 tons of fish in stock, but I have to hold off.”
Some traders attribute the decline in prices to the abundant fish supply in various provinces, coupled with poor consumption due to economic difficulties. Additionally, the stable prices over the past four years have motivated fish farmers within and outside the province to continuously expand their farming areas.
Fish farmers in the province are hopeful that the upcoming Tet holiday will ignite the sales and the snakehead fish price will rebound to increase.
Hồ Thành, head of Minh Tân hamlet in Giục Tượng commune, Châu Thành district, revealed that there are around 30 households in the hamlet engaged in commercial snakehead fish farming, with a scale of 5,000-10,000 fish per household.
Previously, when the price of commercial snakehead fish fluctuated around 45,000 – 46,000 VND/kg, each household could make a profit of about 80 million VND per year. However, in the past two months, as the price of hybrid snakehead fish has dropped from 45,000 VND to 30,000 VND/kg, farmers suffered from loss because the cost of raising 1kg of fish is approximately 35,000 VND.
At some markets in Rạch Giá city, the retail price of cleaned hybrid snakehead fish is only around 40,000 – 45,000 VND/kg. Some housewives purchase them in large quantities for drying as a reserve food for Tet holiday.
VFM
