Speaking at the event, Truong Dinh Hoe, general secretary of the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said Pangasius was exported to 150 countries and territories with total revenue of more than 1.8 billion US Dollars a year. The EU is the largest export market for the fish.
However, in recent years, exports to the US, EU, the Netherlands, Spain and Germany dropped significantly.
The industry faced several challenges, such as weak financial capacity, outdated processing technology, high production costs due to high prices for materials and low survival rate of Pangasius.
Farmers who raise Pangasius suffered a loss of 1,000 – 2,000 per kg of Pangasius over the last three years..
Vo Hung Dung, secretary of the Viet Nam Pangasius Association, said that as of June 30, the Mekong Delta had an additional 1,959 ha under Pangasius breeding, up by 0.21 per cent compared with the same period last year. The catch was estimated at 516,140 tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 1.22 per cent.
Total Pangasius exports in the first five months of 2015 were 616.5 million US Dollars, down by 7 per cent compared with the same period in 2014.
Taken from: Vietnam News Daily (VNS) 18th October 2015
