Popularly known in the market as cream dory, pangasius has been proven to be a good raw material in the processing of value-added products like bacon, fish ball, fish cakes, sausage, hotdog, tocino, chicharon, patties, among others.
Pangasius is considered as the third most important fresh water fish group within the aquaculture sector. It can be grown locally and can be cultured in all sizes of habitat, from backyard to large scale. It is noted for its adaptability to waters with low levels of dissolved oxygen, RODG head Undersecretary Merly M. Cruz explained.
DTI records showed that since 2008, the Philippines has been importing the fish from Vietnam at an average of 30 - 40 container vans or 600MT valued at USD1.650 million yearly.
We intend to reduce the importation, thus, we embarked on the pangasius project purposely to also address the food security program of the government and to provide doable work programs and fundable livelihood projects to targeted income groups, Cruz explained.
Cruz said that DTI has developed the Industry Plan for Pangasius and to date, the pangasius industry has already six projects in place: the Pangasius Organic Farming, Fishpond Nursery and Fish Processing Facility in Magungaya Center for PALMA Alliance; Pangasius Cart in Tandag, Surigao del Sur, Demo Farm on Organic Pangasius at San Simon, Cagayan de Oro; and the TDP Project in General Santos City for Tateh and BMEG Feeds.
It is a viable and growing industry we have monitored 48 expansion projects that are being developed in various parts of the country now, Cruz added.
She said four projects have been approved for financing amounting to P4,271,010 broken down as follows: P3.8m for Magungaya Center for PALMA Alliance; P150,000 for Samahang Mangingisda at Magbubukid ng Barangay Cawayan (SMMBC) in Real, Quezon for its Pangasius Cart Project and Nursery-Hatchery Facility; P15,000 loan amount for the Soccorohon Employees MPC for the Pangasius Food Cart Project of Mr. William G. Fabio and P306,010 for the establishment of small scale feed mill facility in Butuan City.
She outlined the industry's accomplishments', among which, the establishment of 15 new markets and eight market linkages, development of 38 new products which include 26 menus, 22, value added products, development of three new brands: La Pangga, Santa Marta and Carm Foods and the strengthening and sustaining of 20 organizations.Filipinos are particularly reliant upon marine waters but human economic activity and climate change has driving transformation in our marine ecosystems. The fish catch has reduced significantly and affected not only the deep fishing operators and fish processors but also the lowly municipal fishermen, Cruz explained.
She said that under the Industry Plan for Pangasius, DTI will develop a total area of 270 hectares, create 2,700 jobs and produce 614MT of fillet.
Pangasius could be harvested within six months and has a survival rate of 95 percent. Our underutilized/abandoned fishponds and water resources like spring, river and marsh are tapped to culture fish stocks such as pangasius, Cruz added.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of March 19, Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee, Le Van Su, chaired a meeting to address bottlenecks and propose solutions to expand the super-intensive whiteleg shrimp farming model using low water exchange and high biosecurity standards (RAS-IMTA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On March 10, 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee issued Decision No. 1377/QD-UBND approving the Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control Plan for the 2026–2030 period. The decision takes effect from the date of signing and replaces previous plans for the 2021–2030 period that had been issued prior to the administrative merger in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Binh Duong, and Ho Chi Minh City.
(vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Chile imported more than USD 156 million worth of tuna, up 8.1% compared to the previous year and the highest level in the past five years. As the supply structure in this market is rapidly shifting, Vietnamese tuna is facing both opportunities to expand market share and increasing competitive pressure from Thailand, Colombia, and China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vinh Long Province is stepping up efforts to develop brackish water shrimp farming in a sustainable direction, identifying it as a key sector in its agricultural structure. In 2026, the province aims to reach around 71,300 hectares of shrimp farming, with an output of over 314,000 tons.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ha Tinh Province is strengthening control over shrimp seed quality to minimize risks for the 2026 spring–summer farming season.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In February 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports reached USD 119 million, down slightly 5% year-on-year. However, thanks to strong performance in January, cumulative exports in the first two months of the year still reached USD 331 million, up 28% compared to the same period in 2025. Export activity slowed somewhat in February due to seasonal factors, particularly the Lunar New Year holiday, which disrupted production and shipments at many seafood processing enterprises.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Da Nang is accelerating the development of high-tech shrimp farming toward intensive production, disease control, and improved efficiency. Many shrimp farms have invested in automated environmental monitoring systems, continuously tracking indicators such as pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and salinity, enabling farmers to promptly adjust pond conditions and reduce disease risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 is considered a turning point for Vietnam’s shrimp seed industry as the sector faces the need for strong transformation in technology, production management, and gradual self-sufficiency in broodstock supply. These factors are seen as key to improving seed quality and strengthening the competitiveness of the shrimp industry amid increasingly demanding market requirements.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In February 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached nearly USD 310 million, up 17% year-on-year. Cumulatively for the first two months of the year, shrimp export value totaled USD 690 million, an increase of 20% compared with the same period last year. Compared with the 22% growth recorded in January, the pace of increase in February slowed somewhat, reflecting seasonal factors as the Lunar New Year holiday partially disrupted processing and shipment activities. Nevertheless, the nearly 20% growth in the first two months indicates that shrimp orders from Vietnam are maintaining a more positive trend than in the same period last year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to the latest statistics for January 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius export value to major market blocs recorded encouraging growth compared with the same period last year, indicating that consumption demand is gradually recovering.
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