According to the report by PB Commercial the catfish farmers are in tough situation as they face competition, rising grain costs and above all the impact of foreign imports. Jerry Seamans, a catfish farmer, is cutting back his 1,200 acres of catfish ponds by 20 percent and returning the acreage to soybeans and rice. He said that some people are going out of business. Most everybody in the business is trying to make major adjustments.
Carole Engle, director of aquaculture and the fisheries center at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, told that catfish farming is a $600 million industry in Arkansas, down about $120 million from five years ago. It is fact the catfish industry is struggling nationally, and catfish consumption among Americans is down slightly, especially in California and New York City where imports are selling better, confirmed officials.
To further dismay the Catfish Farmers of Arkansas plans to petition the state Public Service Commission for a reduction in the electric rates producers pay. Seamans told that the industry trade association’s board, said 90 percent of a catfish farmer’s energy use is from large aerators used to pump air into the ponds during the night. Farmers currently pay the agriculture rate, which is for peak usage, even though the aerators run during off-peak hours.
