The risk
In August 2009, the Vietnam association of export seafood process initiated the programe “ the enterprises say “ no” with impure shrimp”. The impure shrimp temporarily was stable for a month, but then, the shrimp material was in shortage, the impure shrimp developed !

In two recent months, in Ca Mau province, the authorities discovered 120 cases of transporting, trading, consuming the impure shrimp. Most of cases of impure shrimp discovering in Ca Mau can not identify its owners

In four last months, the market management department of Bac Lieu province discovered 12 cases of impure shrimp with nearly 9 tonnes of shrimps material

On August 31st 2009, the driver of truck with number 94K6727, Nguyen Van Bang, in ward 5 ( Bac Lieu ) transported 326 kilogram of impure shrimp with preliminary treatment. The market management department in Bac Lieu confiscated all these products

Recently, on Octorber 26th 2009, the car with number 93H9594, of the driver Chau Phi Khuong, transported 128 kilogram impure shrimps

The violations of impure shrimp discovering previously in Bac Lieu all come from Gia Rai district. Some factories producing shrimp with preliminary treatment and impurities injection divided actively into small parts in order to transport and purchase. When being discovered, they all “ flee for their life “

Still mantaining in spite of loss

Mr. Tran Thanh Hoa, the director of Ca Mau foods and fishery export joint-stock company ( FFC )confided : “the shrimp material is lacking, the price is increasing highly, in spite of loss, we need to buy them to maintain the operation and retain workers, meet orders”.

The FFC located in Luong The Tan ward ( Cai Nuoc district, Ca Mau province ), each day, the company just buys nearly 7 tonnes of shrimp material. In the same period of last year, this enterprise bought over 15 tonnes per day

The shrimp material’s cost is up each day. Now, the Black tiger shrimp with types of 20shrimps/kilogram is 180.000 VND/ kilogram, and 30 shrimps/ kg is 135.000 VND/kg

Nguyen Thi Tuyet, general director of Camimex Ca Mau, said : “ We welcome the agencies in surround provinces and central provinces. But the harvest of main shrimp expired, the quanlity of extensive farming shrimp is not much”.

This year, the provinces with the large areas in raising industrious shrimp such as Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, Kien Giang…now raise the shrimp with sparse density, the output is reducing

In Soc Trang province, the shrimp output is about 55.000 tonnes, reduced 10.000 tonnes compared to the previous years, it makes nine process factories of 6 enterprises processing export seafood are “ hungry” with materials

Mr. Nguyen Thong Nhan, deputy director of Agriculture and rural development department in Ca Mau urgented : “ In the view of areas raising shrimp now, with nearly 40 enterprises processing export seafood, the shrimps material just satisfy a half of design power. Lack of shrimp material in the end of harvest is unavoidable

The Ca Mau shrimp ponds has 264.000 hectares raising shrimp, just 13.000 hectares raising industrious shrimp, 2.200 hectares raising extensive farming shrimp improving with high power. The enterprises processing export seafood in the Mekong Delta force to buy the shrimp material in central provinces to produce. The Phu Cuong process and export company ( Ca Mau ) operated a half of power

The Kien Giang province has 22 factories processing and exporting with the total design power of 120.624 tonnes per year, however, just operate about 35-40% power

Mr. Tran Thien Hai, chairman of Vietnam association of export seafood process said : “ the shrimp output of the provinces in the Mekong Delta is in the time of harvest’s ending, this situation will happen till beginning of 2010. Many enterprises can’t import shrimp material because of various reasons.

By Nguyen Tien Hung

Source: Tien Phong

Translated by Vietfish Community