Raw shrimp prices in Ca Mau hit rock bottom, farmers say it's difficult

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Thong, Tan Thanh B hamlet, Ta An Khuong Nam commune, Dam Doi district said that he has been raising super-intensive shrimp for 9 years, but never before has the price of shrimp fallen as miserably as this year.

Mr. Thong lamented: “I raise two super-intensive shrimp ponds, with an area of about 6,000 square meters. I just finished harvesting the last crop, reaching 43 shrimp/kg but the selling price was only 98,000 VND/kg, earning 350 million VND, while the cost of raising two ponds for 65 days was about 330 million VND. If we include labor costs, it is considered a loss.”

Although it is the main season, few people dare to raise shrimp because the price of raw shrimp in Bac Lieu and Ca Mau has hit rock bottom. Photo: Nhat Ho

On the contrary, the price of feed has been increasing continuously, making it more difficult for farmers. According to farmers' calculations, the average cost of feed for 1 ton of shrimp is from 1 to 1.3 tons of feed. The average price of feed is 45,000 VND/kg, equivalent to a loss of about 50 million VND/ton of shrimp.

Mr. Huynh Chi Ai, Tan Thanh B hamlet, Ta Khuong Nam commune, also raises 2 super-intensive shrimp ponds covered with tarpaulins but the income is not much.

Mr. Ai sadly said: “Since the beginning of the year, shrimp prices have been so low. I have raised shrimp to the point where the price has dropped continuously, so I have not made any profit. I mainly rely on labor for profit. In addition, shrimp farming has not been favorable recently, and the water source environment has been polluted, so I have to spend a lot of money on treatment.”

Harvesting super-intensive shrimp in Ca Mau, despite achieving productivity, prices hit rock bottom so farmers have no profit. Photo: Nhat Ho

Regarding shrimp purchasing enterprises, Mr. Phan Van Tam, Director of Administration - Human Resources, Minh Phu Ca Mau Seafood Corporation, said that shrimp prices at this time are the lowest ever, while this year's export output is relatively good. Currently, the company purchases about 150 tons of raw shrimp per day. Current shrimp output is enough to meet demand.

Mr. Tam said that businesses cannot increase purchasing prices because when exporting, they will not be able to compete with India and Ecuador, two countries that currently have very low shrimp prices.

Mr. Phan Hoang Vu, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ca Mau province, analyzed that the reason for the decrease in shrimp prices is due to the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the inflation situation, the decrease in demand while the supply does not decrease; the logistics transportation costs are very high, 2-3 times higher than before; some large export markets have limited consumption. This leads to very low export shrimp prices.

Seafood processing factories for export in Ca Mau said they sympathize with farmers but find it difficult to increase prices because Vietnamese shrimp faces competition in the US and European markets. Photo: Nhat Ho

It is forecasted that from now until the end of the year, shrimp prices will likely increase due to the year-end supply-demand situation of some major markets, and domestic demand will also increase in the last months of the year. Accordingly, the authorities recommend that people choose suitable farming models that save costs and reduce prices, such as improved extensive shrimp farming in 2-3 stages, developing shrimp-rice and shrimp-forest models.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's latest update on raw shrimp prices in Ca Mau province, for white-leg shrimp in canvas ponds: 25 shrimp/kg costs 128,000 VND; 30 shrimp/kg costs 123,000 VND; 40 shrimp/kg costs 103,000 VND; 50 shrimp/kg costs 97,000 VND; 100 shrimp/kg costs 86,000 VND. For black tiger shrimp, 20 shrimp/kg costs 210,000 VND; 30 shrimp/kg costs 155,000 VND; 40 shrimp/kg costs 125,000 VND.

Source: https://laodong.vn/kinh-doanh/gia-tom-nguyen-lieu-tai-ca-mau-cham-day-nguoi-nuoi-keu-kho-1374839.ldo