Pangasius exports to reach US$1.6 bln in 2014
(VOV) - The export value of Tra fish (Pangasius) is expected to fetch US$1.6 billion by the end of this year, falling by 5% compared with 2013.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), in the first five months of this year, the Mekong River Delta set aside 2,954 hectares for Pangasius farming, down 19% from a year ago.
Local farmers have caught 335,023 tonnes on 1,487ha, a year-on-year decrease of 20% in output.
Between January-April 2014, Tra fish businesses earned US$546 million from exports, an increase of 2% compared to the same period last year.
Several markets experiencing high growth of Pangasius imports include Brazil-36.7%, Mexico-13%, ASEAN countries-11% and China-25%. In contrast, the EU and USA showed declines of 10% and 8.7%, respectively.
Due to shrinking markets, the price of Pangasius is currently decreasing to VND22,000-23,000 per kilogram.