Can Tho: pangasius farming area up 18% in Q.III/2012

 This period, land used for pangasius farming expanded to 968 hectares, up 18 percent; but fish production totaled 100,526 MT, down 13 percent compared to the same time of 2011.

So far this year, 1.595 hectares are used to breed fish fingerlings for the new harvest.

The Mekong Delta-based province harvested 11.3 thousand MT other farmed fish for revenue of US$36 million in August 2012, up 0.8 percent in volume and value from August 2011. It totaled 92.7 thousand MT of year-to-date production, worth US$295.2 million; down 8.2 percent in volume and 5.1 percent in value over the compatible period of last year; completing 61.8 percent and 50.3 percent of the yearly plan in terms of volume and value respectively. Seafood sales abroad accounted for 39.1 percent of Can Tho’s total earnings from export. However, the export trend is slowing down in August when local fish export companies found hard to send seafood products outside due to weak demand in some foreign markets.

In January – September 2012, Can Tho province’s aquaculture faced to lots of difficulties. Fish growers and processors got more and more losses in business. Expenses for aquatic feed and other input costs kept rising while exported products got lower price. Furthermore, fish producers had to deal with stricter credit policies from banks.

In 2012, fish farming area of Can Tho province is expected to reach 14,800 hectares for a supply of 175,000 MT. In which, the area fingerling production largely expands and provides much higher supply than that in 2011, particularly in Co Do – Thoi Lai district where many farmers turned to breed fish seeds to get high profit in the first months of the year.

Can Tho authorities always give priority to developing aquaculture with two main species: pangasius and scampi. Pangasius farming expanse is lower than other aquatic ones, but it brings back great annual production and high earnings for the province.