According to the information by mid-July more than 295,000 tons of tra worth US$668 million were exported, leaving shrimp trailing behind. Volumes have risen 50 times and revenues 65 times in the last decade. Major markets, the Egyptian and Dutch governments have said Vietnamese catfish is completely safe. It is told that the US also announced it will no longer levy anti-dumping or import duties on seafood exported by six Vietnamese companies.
As the holiday season going on the exports of catfish are forecast to rise further. But despite all this, farmers in the Mekong Delta get only VN13,500 to 14,800 for a kilogram of tra while the market price is VND15,000-15,500. Nguyen Van Ut, a farmer from Cai Lay, Tien Giang Province, said farmers incur an average loss of VND1,000 a kilogram.
Phan Van Danh, the chairman of the An Giang Seafood Processing and Fisheries Association, said that catfish farmers still face difficulties as they cannot make a profit since the cost price is higher than selling price. He told that even banks refuse to lend to catfish farmers because of the high risks involved in farming.
