Mekong Delta: 600,000MT of Pangasius exported in 2010
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) forecast in 2010 the Mekong Delta will export 600,000MT of Pangasius products, valued at US$1.5 billion, an increase of nearly US$160 million compared with 2009, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to VASEP.
Accordingly, the Pangasius farming area in the Mekong Delta will increase by 2,440ha compared with last year, standing at 8,600ha, concentrating in the provinces of Dong Thap, An Giang, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Hau Giang, Ben Tre, and Can Tho City.
MARD urges the fisheries agencies in the Mekong Delta to instruct farmers to apply only farming model with an yield of 140-250MT per ha per year in areas of more than 10ha to minimize environment and water source pollution; at the same time, to tighten integration between farmers and processors via contracts to deal with supply-demand imbalance as happened in the last two years.
In addition, along with frequent update of information on Pangasius production and consumption in domestic and global markets, the Mekong Delta region authorities also invest in upgrading hatcheries to assure the supply of 2.5 billion of qualified fingerlings, as well as feed mills factories to provide 3 million MT of Pangasius feed for farmers.