Viet Nam Catfish Prices Bounce Back

VIET NAM - After the Vietnamese press continuously reflected the decline in prices of catfish (ca tra, basa), causing much difficulty for farmers, catfish prices are recently going up, said Vice Chairman of An Giang Fisheries Association (AFA) Le Chi Binh.

The Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said the decline was due to lower consumption in the summer time. However, the Ministry of Fisheries said the prices decreased because factories drove a hard bargain.

Prices of catfish declined by VND100-200 per kilogram a week last month.

The price drop worried catfish breeders about their earnings, while factories that purchased their catfish did not buy any from their farms.

Factories are currently buying catfish again. The prices of high-quality catfish increase to VND12,000-12,500 per kilogram. At this price, catfish breeders will get profits.

Catfish breeders in provinces of An Giang, Dong Thap and Can Tho City are not worried any more, so they will not sell their catfish at any price.

Source: Saigon GP Daily