(VNS) Vietnam’s sturgeon breeding sector will be seriously affected by the huge volumes of illegally-imported Chinese sturgeon in recent weeks, the Nong Nghiep Viet Nam newspaper reported Thursday.
The smuggled volumes hit between 200 tons and 300 tons per month while the country’s total sturgeon output is only 250 to 300 tons yearly, the newspaper said.
The massive presence of Chinese sturgeon has taken up major market-share of local products, the newspaper quoted a staff named Duong from Vietnam Sturgeon Co., Ltd as saying.
The smuggling is threatening the domestic production as China-produced sturgeon is offered at VND125,000 ($6) per kilogram, compared to the average price of VND240,000 ($11.5)/kilo of domestic sturgeon, the newspaper said.
In addition, this kind of China-produced fish is harmful to customers’ health as they were bred with a large volume of weight-gain feed, Mr. Duong said, adding that the made-in-China fish tastes less delicious than the domestic ones.
To curb the situation, last month the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development asked different ministries and authorities of the provinces bordered with China, namely Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Lao Cai and Lai Chau, to tighten control over the smuggling.
Notably, many Chinese customers are coming to Vietnam’s northern markets to buy locally-raised sturgeon for better products and on concerns about China’s low-quality fish, the newspaper said, citing local farm owners.