Vietnam’s pangasius (tra fish) processing sector is currently grappling with difficulties, with rising inventory and sluggish consumption. However, in the long term, the demand for this white-flesh fish will improve, helping tra fish processors address their woes. Truong Giang Seafood Company, a long-time exporter of seafood to China, typically harvests tra fish weighing between 900 grams and 1 kg each for export. But currently, the fish farmed in ponds is weighing up to 1.5 kg and cannot be processed. Ong Hang Van, deputy general director of Truong Giang, is concerned because the volume of fish in ponds is large while the fish stock is quite big. “The official statistics are not yet available, but increasingly big inventory seems to choke off the cash flow,” Van said. Imperfect cycle The tra fish industry operates on a cyclic pattern. These fish are easy to farm, with a short growth and harvest time. Fish weighing around 500-700 grams are eligible for export to the United States and Europe, while the Chinese market prefers larger fish, about one kilo. The entire farming-to-harvesting cycle takes about six to eight months. Due to this short farming cycle, farmers tend to start a new brood when export […]
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