(pangasius-vietnam.com) In An Giang (a southern province of Vietnam), there are 17 seafood enterprises with 21 seafood processing plants and the total capacity of 150,000 MT. Raw material production of the province can meet 50 – 60 percent of processing demand. Seafood enterprises in the province tend to farm fish by themselves to ensure raw material for their processing.
Total of fish farming areas owned by the companies reaches 330 hectares, making up 34.7 percent of provincial farming area and accounting for 61 percent of total fish production of the province, the Director of provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) said.
In the first months of 2012, seed pangasius producing facilities in the province produced 22.5 million fish fries and 2.4 million fish seed. According to DARD, fish farming area of An Giang is estimated to reach 950 hectares, equal to 95 percent from that of 2011. Total fish production in the first three months of 2012 was estimated to touch 77,000 MT, representing 85 percent over that of the same period of 2011.
Currently, seafood enterprises find it hard to access to bank loans due to current credit policies. They hereby cope with lack of capital for reproducing because it costs from VND5 billion to VND10 billion for one hectare fish farming area. Lack of capital also exposes difficulties in developing pangasius production.
To ease the above difficulties and speed up pagasius producing for export, provincial Department of Industry and Trade (DOIT) has stated some solutions. DOIT will soon review fish farming area planning, establish land fund of 50 – 100 hectares and assign to investors who will invest in large scale fish farming area. Concentrated fish farming will ensure good quality for raw material and fish traceability, facilitate treating waste to protect the environment, the Director of DOIT recommended.
The province must ensure aquaculture and seafood processing under planning as well as intensify controlling new plants and stop new investment in expanding processing plants to balance operating capacity of seafood processors, avoid serious shortage of raw material for plants. Besides, the province also encourages seafood enterprises to build their own fish farming area to hold initiative in raw material supply. Local authorities should accelerate to inspect and manage fish feed and materials to guarantee quality of the fish products and protect the environment, Chairman of An Giang provincial People’s Committee said.
In the first three months of 2012, An Giang exported 33,200 MT of seafood, worth by US$95.3 million, increasing nearly 18 percent in volume and 28 percent in value from that of the same period of 2011.