(pangasius-vietnam.com) In February 6th 2012, Mr. Duong Ngoc Minh - Deputy Chairman of Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said, VASEP has recommended Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to solve two main problems of Vietnam pangasius sector which are limited credit and lack of seed.
According to some seafood processors, importers around the world have more orders for pangasius fillet recently, and with current supply not to meet demand, pangasius price is higher.
VASEP estimated that the pangasius exports in 2012 targeted US$2 billion (versus US$1.8 billion of 2010). To fulfill the target, Vietnam processors need to process about 1.3 million MT of raw pangasius. However, pangasius production slid strongly because farmers lack capital to restock, banks were hesitate to lend money for fish farmers.
Besides, bad weather led to the shortage of fish seed. The fish seed supply is expected to be plentiful by April 2012 and to the end of this year, farmers can harvest fish for processing.
Local processors are purchasing raw fish with the price of VND26,000 per kilogram. Fish with the weight of 0.9-1.2 kilogram per piece which processors want to buy is deficient. With the price, farmers can earn profit of at least VND4,000 per kilogram.