CAN THO - Prices of unprocessed pangasius in the Mekong Delta have bounced back significantly after months of decline.
Processing enterprises now buy pangasius at VND21,000-22,000 a kilo, up from VND17,000-18,000 per kilo early this year, said Tran Hieu Trung, a farmer in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.
The An Giang Fisheries Association (AFA) said the current prices of unprocessed pangasius stand at VND20,000-22,000 per kilo in An Giang Province, VND3,000-4,000 higher than earlier this year.
Exporters of pangasius in the Mekong Delta ascribed the price spike to increasing demand from major markets, including the United States, the European Union (EU) and China.
Figures of the General Department of Customs showed pangasius exports to the U.S. in January neared 12,000 tons worth US$32.42 million, up 24.54% in volume and 4.09% in value against the same period last year.
Local enterprises exported nearly 11,000 tons of pangasius worth US$23.63 million to the EU in the first month of this year, rising by 35.39% and 13.24% respectively, and more than 7,500 tons worth US$13.32 million to China, up 57.39% and 29.83%.
Although prices of unprocessed fish in the Mekong Delta have recovered, farmers are still running the risk of incurring losses as they can barely cover production cost with the current selling prices.
(Source: thesaigontimes)