AnGiang (VNA)ꦆ – Vietnam’s tra fish export value is estimated at 1.8billion USD this year, equal to only 75% of the figure last year, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien.

Speakingat a conference to review the tra fish industry’s performance in 2023 held bythe Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the An Giang provincialPeople’s Committee on December 15, Tien said that because of inflation andpolitical instability in the world, Vietnam’s tra fish industry has faced difficulties. In2023, the country has about 5,700 ha of tra fish farming and anestimated output of 1.61 million tonnes. However,tra fish markets are expected to recover, particularly from the second quarterof next year. It is expected that tra fish production will see a year-on-year increase of 2.8%and the harvested output in the first and second quarters of 2024 will meetdemand for processing and export.  Nextyear, Vietnam targets to achieve a commercial tra fish output of 1.7 milliontonnes and an export turnover of 2 billion USD. Tothis end, localities in the Mekong Delta, especially An Giang and Dong Thapprovinces, and tra fish processing and exporting businesses need to focus onimproving the quality of breed. They also need to do research and developing deeply-processedproducts, diversifying products to meet different marketsegments, and ready-made products, the deputy minister said. Tien also emphasised the need to effectively utilise byproducts and waste sludge toproduce organic fertiliser.

Heurged for strengthened linkage in production to minimize risks, and reduceproduction costs. Growers were encouraged to make their farming certified toincrease the value of their products, and deploy electronic traceabilitysystems from farms, and processing plants to export establishments.

෴ In particular, tra fish production andprocessing enterprises need to pay attention to expanding the domestic market,targeting canteens in industrial parks and schools while seeking new markets,and implementing certification regulations for products, particularly those forMuslim markets.

At theconference, participants agreed that Vietnam's tra fish industry has declinedrecently due to political instability and global inflation, causing fallingdemand for aquacultural products, which resulted in difficulties for exportsand large inventories. Inaddition, neighbouring countries have increased their tra fish productionand reduced their imports from Vietnam. Meanwhile,Vietnamese tra fish products are still monotonous, value-added products accountfor a small proportion, so they have not created great competitiveness andcommercial value. Inaddition, the breeds, commercial farming, and feed account for 70-80% of theproduction costs. Some breed production facilities do not strictly control thebroodstock during the breed production process and some facilities have notcomplied with the deadline for using broodstock. Some businesses have yet topay attention to building trademarks for product lines. Instead, they stillprefer to compete with low prices rather than with high-quality products./.