Producing tra fish seeds to the lead in the recovery market

Following the recovery of the commercial tra fish market, tra fish seed production facilities have begun to accelerate stocking and rearing to meet Cuu Long Delta’s fish stocking demand.

Producing tra fish seed reared in nets. Quality tra fish seed is an important factor in the commercial fish farming process. Photo: LHV.

Since March 2021 in the Cuu Long Delta, the price of raw material tra fish increased slightly when the export market recovered. In the tra fish farming area along the Hau River and the island ranges of Can Tho City, the selling price of raw tra fish fluctuates from VND 22,000 to 22,500/kg (700-800 grams/fish in size), up VND 4,500 - 5,000/kg over the same period. However, the selling price is still low and equivalent to the VND 22,000 - 23,000/kg average cost.

According to Can Tho city’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the tra fish export situation since the beginning of the year has steadily improved in the main export markets such as USA, China and the EU. Moreover, regarding the current situation of commercial tra fish consumption, most of the farming households have consumption links, so there is no backlog of raw material tra fish.

Meanwhile, according to tra fish farmers, when the consumption of raw material tra fish at factories increases in demand, the farmers will order tra fish seeds, prepare to clean the ponds and increase re-entering the stocking season. As a result, after a while, at a current low level, the price of tra fish seeds has gradually increased in many localities in the Cuu Long Delta.

As claimed by Can Tho Fisheries Sub-Department officers, in the past few years, tra fish seed producing households have mastered rearing techniques, always keeping a good source of parental tra fish seed, ready to supply quality tra fish seed according to orders.

However, the supply - demand level in seed production and the demand in farming areas often lags, especially when the consumption demand for commercial tra fish suddenly increases. At that time, the farming area had to urgently produce, the number of seeds increased rapidly so that farmers could resume the crop, so sometimes they could not respond in time; the seeds were often expensive.

On the other hand, although there have been many large-scale tra fish processing and exporting enterprises investing in tra fish farming areas and self-reliant in seed production, every time the market demand requires an increase in commercial tra fish production, the seeds supply of enterprises can only meet 50% of their own farming areas’ demand.

Therefore, provincial seed centers and private production facilities are still the main sources of supply, must predict and be flexible in adjusting production plans to increase - decrease output according to market demand, which includes the seed supply to the enterprises’ pond areas. The production and trading of the seeds are being encouraged and facilitated by the localities to link with cooperatives and enterprises that have fish farming areas following the production chain.

According to VASEP, in 2021, it is prognosticated that the Covid-19 epidemic will be well controlled, world trade activities will return to normal, and Vietnam's farmed tra fish production volume may reach over 1.65 million tons.

According to the MARD, the tra fish export turnover in 2021 is estimated at USD 2 - 2.2 billion. Tra fish is one of the key export products of the seafood industry. Currently, Vietnamese tra fish products are present in about 125 markets. In which, the main markets are: China, USA, the EU and ASEAN countries.