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) The year 2025 marked a pivotal milestone for Vietnam’s seafood industry in its restructuring process toward sustainability, transparency, and higher value creation, amid continued uncertainties in the global economic and trade environment. Prolonged inflation in major economies, the rising trend of trade protectionism, and increasingly stringent requirements related to environmental standards, traceability, and social responsibility have posed significant challenges to seafood production and exports. Nevertheless, overcoming these pressures, Vietnam’s seafood sector has gradually demonstrated its adaptability, maintained growth momentum, and laid an important foundation for the next stage of development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Amid the increasingly evident impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion, the shrimp-rice production model in Ca Mau province continues to prove itself as a viable direction, contributing to higher farmer incomes, improved soil conditions and the promotion of ecological and sustainable agricultural development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The management of fishing vessels, monitoring of fishing activities, and handling of violations in the fisheries sector in Lam Dong province have continued to be implemented in a synchronized and stringent manner, contributing to raising awareness of legal compliance among fishermen and aiming to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Can Tho’s fishery industry sustained steady growth in 2025 with total aquatic and marine output reaching nearly 783,000 tons, fulfilling 100% of the annual target. Aquaculture, capture fisheries and fishing fleet management were further strengthened, aiming for sustainable development in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s pangasius export turnover reached nearly USD 2.2 billion, up 8% year-on-year. This result indicates that pangasius exports maintained their growth momentum despite significant volatility in the global market environment. In December 2025, pangasius export value reached USD 200 million, up 10% compared to December 2024. This solid performance in the final month of the year reflects increased import demand for consumption and inventory replenishment in key markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Spain experienced significant fluctuations. According to Vietnam Customs, during the first 11 months of 2025, export turnover for the first 11 months of the year edged up by 0.3% year-on-year, reaching nearly $15 million.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son has signed Decision No. 16/QD-TTg, dated January 5, 2026, approving the implementation plan for the Vietnam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA). Under the plan, in the coming period, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated entities and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities must institutionalize and execute tasks focused on the dissemination of information regarding VIFTA and the Israeli market; legislative and institutional development, as well as enhancing competitiveness and human resource growth...
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Beyond achieving double-digit growth, Vietnam’s fish cake and surimi exports are showing a notable year-end "inflection point": the EU his accelerating with nearly twofold growth, China & Hong Kong are rising sharply, while the largest market, South Korea, signaled a slowdown in November. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover of fish cake and surimi reached $327 million in the first 11 months of 2025, up 22% year-on-year; November 2025 alone accounted for $35 million, marking a 5% increase. This serves as a critical foundation for exporters to reassess market structures and competitive intensity while finalizing order strategies for 2026.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ca Mau, widely regarded as the nation’s “shrimp capital”, continued its strong performance in 2025 as shrimp output reached nearly 600,000 tons, maintaining its position as Vietnam’s leading shrimp-producing locality.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On December 29, 2025, at the 2025 Pangasius Industry Review Conference held in Can Tho City, the Vietnam Pangasius Association announced that fingerling prices have surged to record levels due to acute supply shortages.
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