as speaking at a conference on tra fish production and consumption co-organized by it, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the People’s Committee in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.Vietnamese tra fish exports face with a lot of difficulties because the US has increased anti-dumping tax and several other countries have applied commercial barriers, according to the association.
Besides, strong competitiveness from substitutes like cod fish and tilapia has also narrowed the tra’s market share.
The Mekong Delta farmed over 2,954 hectares of tra fish in the first five months this year, a reduction of 19 percent over the same period last year. Of these, 1,487 hectares of tra fish have been harvested with a productivity of 335,000 tons, down 20 percent, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Tra fish exports reached US$546 million as of April, up 2 percent year on year, the ministry said.
In the same period exports to the US and EU markets reduced by 10 percent and 8.7 percent year on year. However exports to Brazil increased by 37 percent, Mexico went up 13 percent, ASEAN 11 percent and China 25 percent.
Tra fish prices have fallen to 22,000-23,000 per kilogram in the domestic market because of export difficulties, causing farmers’ losses.
