Because of Covid-19, the price of raw pangasius may fluctuate in the near future

(vasep.com.vn) According to a report by the Directorate of Fisheries (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), by the end of June 2021, the total area of pangasius farming reached 1,750 hectares, an increase of 1.01% over the same period in 2020. Harvest output reached 704.1 thousand tons, up 0.9% over the same period in 2020 (698 thousand tons). The localities with the largest pangasius farming areas are: Dong Thap, An Giang, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Tien Giang and Ho Chi Minh City. Can Tho.

The whole Mekong Delta region has about 120 pangasius hatcheries (which keep brood stock), nearly 3,000 ha of pangasius rearing; produced about 0.9 billion pangasius fingerlings (equal to 100% of the same period in 2020); By the end of 2020, 60,000 thousand broodstock fish have been replaced for breeding establishments.

The State is also investing in the construction of regional infrastructure projects applying high technology to produce quality pangasius with an area of ​​350ha (My Phu commune: 140ha; Binh Phu commune: 210ha), of which The water surface area for breeding pangasius is 240ha, the production capacity is 900 million pangasius fingerlings (20-25 fish/kg) for commercial farming.

Dong Thap: According to the report of Dong Thap Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, by the end of June 2021, the province’s pangasius farming area is 1,517.27 hectares (of which the area will be changed to 1,072.9 hectares in 2020), harvest is 434.91 ha, harvested output is 181,198 tons.

An Giang: By the end of June 2021, the farming area of ​​pangasius in An Giang province reached 1,226 hectares, the export output is over 113,000 tons/year, the export turnover is more than 273 million USD in 2020.

Can Tho: According to the report of the Fisheries Sub-Department of Ho Chi Minh City. In Can Tho, pangasius is the main aquaculture object of the city. In July 2021, the farming area of ​​pangasius is 15 hectares, the harvested area is 48 hectares with an output of 15,772 tons. Accumulated until July 2021, the pangasius farming area is 563 hectares, equaling 98% over the same period, reaching 76% of the year plan, the harvested area is 263 hectares, the pangasius farming output is 81,037 tons, up 23% over the same period, reaching 49% of the year plan.

Vinh Long: According to Vinh Long Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, as of mid-July 2021, the province’s intensive pangasius area reached nearly 283 hectares, down 10.5%, the output was estimated at over 49,200 tons, down 1.8% compared to that of Vinh Long. same period.

In the first half of 2021, the price of raw materials and supplies has increased 3-4 times, essential items for the operation of processing plants also increase by 5-25%: gloves, plastic, packaging, adhesive tapes. … the price of aqua feed also increased by 15-20%, not to mention the wages of workers, sea freight increased by 5-7 times… are also factors that promote the value of pangasius. Exports increased. However, with the average export price (FOB) of frozen pangasius fillets stable at 2.2 USD/kg, both farmers and enterprises face difficulties.

In the second quarter of 2021, the price of raw pangasius in the Mekong Delta was stable at 21,000 – 22,000 VND/kg. However, recently when the Covid-19 epidemic broke out quickly in Ho Chi Minh City and spread to the Mekong Delta, raising fish and transporting raw materials to factories and processing plants also faced many difficulties. This may affect the chain as a domino effect on all pangasius links and raw material prices in the near future.