However, according to Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the province, most farmers farm themselves without any scheme when the pond area is small. To develop firmly, make use of the potential, planning the farming area is necessary. And the project of developing production and consumption pangasius in Cuu Long Delta to 2020 of the Prime Minister which has just been enforced is an effective solution.

Farmers of small scale face difficulties
Mr Nguyen Thanh Ky in Khanh Hoa commune, Chau Phu district says: “ If the government regulates that farming has to have more than 10 ha, we all have to stop farming. The reason is that most of farmers in this commune just farm in small scale, just some hectare.” In the recent years, like other farmers, Mr Ky has faced a lot of difficulties in the processing of farming pangasius such as: lack of capital, slow consumption, increasing feed price, low price… Especially since 2008, the price has not been stable and lead the farmers to debts, many households have to stop farming. In 2009, Mr Ky borrowed about 100 million VND to invest in pangasius farming with the hope at compensating the loss last year. However, the more he farms, the more serious loss he suffers. His family has 6 ponds with 300,000 pangasius, averagely each day, they eat 20 million VND. Moreover, when selling, enterprises promise to pay fast but they just pay little by little. Mr Ky said angrily: “We wait for a long time for the payment when we are in debts to banks. When receiving money, farmers have to pay 2 month interest which is very high.”

The total area of farming pangasius in 2009 in An Giang province is about 1,200ha, the production is nearly 260,000 tonnes which is almost similar to 2008. However, due to increasing feed price (from the beginning of the year, it has increased 500-600 VND/kg) which increases the production price of 15,000- 15,300 VND/kg when the selling price is averagely 14,400- 14,800 VND/kg. This makes farmers continue suffering loss.

Similarly, Mr Dang Van Ho in Hoa Lac commune, Phu Tan district complains: “ Farming according to scheme is a must if we want to develop. However, I have no money to buy land because currently, I am in debt 500 million VND”. Some days ago, Mr Ho just sold  70 tonnes with the price 14,700 VND/kg, subtracting the expenditure, he suffered 200 million VND. He calculated, the price of breeding fish increases 1,000 VND/fish, the price of self-produced feed is 5.000 VND/kg, when the price of manufactured feed has the price of 7,450 VND/kg. To reach the average weight of 1kg/fish, farmers have to spend about 2,5kg feed. “ If this situation stays long, we will change to farm other seafood”, Mr Ho confirms.

Combination need
To establish concentrating material area, ensure materials for processing, many companies, plants of processing seafood in Cuu Long Delta has started building their own material zones. According to report of 10 enterprises of processing export pangasius, with this method, they both control 50-60% materials, traditional customers is 30-40%, the rest is bought from outside. For example, AGIFISH company, one of the leading enterprises of processing export pangasius, has had close farming procedure with high quality combination groups. Averagely, each member in group supplies the company thousand tonnes material fish/year.

Mr Nguyen Hoan Linh, manager of supporting the Vietnam instruction Board to  manufacture and consume pangasius says, the project of developing and consuming pangasius of the Prime Minister is necessary and vital. However, small and scattered farmers will have difficulties (in An Giang, there are still 30-40% small and scattered farming households). Thus, after scheming, if any household that does not have farming standards, authorities encourage them to change business or farm different fish to meet the demand of markets. Things that need to be done is authorities need to encourage farmers to join combination groups, together to form large farming area to cooperate with processing enterprises to avoid surplus crisis.

Source: KTNT

Translated by Vietfish Community