Prices of tra fish continue to drop in July

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Prices of Tra fish in the Mekong Delta continued the downward trend of the previous month to drop in July, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The highest prices, ranging from 25,000 – 27,000 VND per kg for first-class tra fish, were recorded in the provinces of An Giang, Vinh Long and Dong Thap, a decrease of 3,000 VND from June.

However, the prices are forecast to maintain at a level that still generates profit for farmers until the end of this year.

Meanwhile, prices of Tra fish fingerlings slightly rose from the previous month, fetching at around 25,000 – 30,000 VND per kg.

The Mekong Delta produced about 782,000 tonnes of Tra fish in the first seven months of 2018, a year-on-year increase of 12.1 percent. The biggest contributors included Dong Thap which posted an output of 274,500 tonnes, up 9.4 percent year on year; An Giang, 190,400 tonnes and 17.4 percent; and Can Tho, 95,700 tonnes and 18.6 percent.

Vietnam is the world’s largest exporter of tra fish, making up more than half of the global output. From January – July, the country saw a surge of 19.5 percent to 1.18 billion USD in exports of the fish, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

Major buyers of Vietnamese tra fish include China, the US, the European Union (EU), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). China remained the largest importer of Vietnamese Tra fish with 290 million USD, making up 24.7 percent of the total export turnover. It was followed by the US (250 million USD) and the EU (137.5 million USD).

Also in the Mekong Delta, prices of giant tiger prawn were on a rise while those of king prawn remained flat in July.

The country’s output of brackish-water prawn was estimated at 345,500 tonnes in the first seven months of 2018, up 11 percent year on year. The amount included 162,200 tonnes of giant tiger prawn and 183,300 tonnes of king prawn. The Mekong Delta contributed 271,300 tonnes, or 78.5 percent of the total output, during the reviewed period.