The connection between fishermen and purchasing units

Binh Dinh Province has a huge number of more than 6,000 fishing vessels including over 3,000 with high capacity specializing in offshore fishing and annually making up high catch productivity. Seafood purchasing units are always the main force of consumption for fishermen thus there is a very close connection between them.

Fisherman Ngo Van Chi, 57, owner of a steel-hulled fishing boat with number BD 99759 TS (822CV) in Hoai Huong ward (Hoai Nhon Town, Binh Dinh Province), has for a long time, only sold his seafood to purchasing units. As very few owners among more than 3,000 offshore fishing vessels in Binh Dinh can directly sign contracts with large seafood enterprises in the area, which most fishing boats want, most of them have to consume their products through an intermediator who is called purchasing unit.

According to Chi, there is not only a trading relationship between fishermen and purchasing units but also mutual support between them. “If any fishing boat owner who is also a fisherman, faces financial issues before sailing to sea, the purchasing unit runner is willing to credit some money for him to be able to pay in advance for crew members as well as for expenditure during the trip. The fisherman can pay ack after returning to sell his fishing products to them. As purchasing units can usually earn a small profit of VND1,000-2,000/kg, the fishermen trust them and often regard them as friends," said Chi.

Many purchasing units even have repeatedly lent money to fishermen for their rebuilding their boats after incidents at sea so that they can continue their trips. For example, fisherman Nguyen Chi Thanh in Tay Village, An Hai Commune (Ly Son District, Quang Ngai Province) who owns the fishing boat QNg-6517 TS, had borrowed up to VND400 million from a purchasing unit runner in Binh Son District (Quang Ngai Province) at the end of 2008 to build his current boat.

Unfortunately, his boat has crashed 4 times at sea within only 5 years of fishing offshore. The last time of being crashed had caused damage worth more than VND1 million for him. The heaviest damage had caused a loss of billions of dong, after his VND1.3 billion boat was completely burned down on the way to Hoang Sa fishing grounds. Since then he was almost "empty-handed". Thanh again had to rely on the purchasing unit to get borrowed money to buy other facilities to continue fishing.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Trang, owner of a purchasing unit in Tam Quan Bac ward (Hoai Nhon Town) said: "In 2017, the fishing boat of Mr. Truong Tha, a friend of mine, was sunk while fishing at sea. Six people on board fortunately survived but the accident caused a loss worth more than VND1.4 billion for Tha. After that, I never mentioned the amount of credit money Tha had borrowed in advance from me for that trip.

That time, I even wiped off VND300 million credit that Tha had borrowed in advance from me. In many cases when a client's boat was crashed without being able to contact a ship to tow back from the shore, I was ready to spend money to timely hire a ship for towing the in-trouble boat inshore. Loss of property is nothing. We should know how to rely on each other in business and be durable in our relationship.”

Regardless of day and night, purchasing units are waiting at the shore so that when the fishermen's boats dock at the port, they can purchase their products immediately. There is an unwritten rule at fishing ports that "you get what you pay for" so each unit usually does business with 20-70 fishing boat owners.

On average, each moon season, Ms. Ho Phan Thi Tham, owner of a unit in Cat Khanh Commune (Phu Cat District) often purchases products from more than 50 fishermen from Quy Nhon through Phu Cat to Hoai Nhon District. “We have to regularly grasp the market price so that to pay fishermen a good price and to make them trust to sell us their products...,” Tham confided.

Fisherman Van Cong Viet, owner of 2 high-capacity boats specializing in fishing tuna in Hai Cang ward (Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province) considers himself a lucky person because he has been in close relation with a reputable purchasing unit for more than 10 years. Thanks to that, his consumption of fishing products after each voyage has not faced any problems.

“Most of the offshore fishing boats’ owners in Binh Dinh have not been able to connect with seafood enterprises so they cannot sign contracts to sell products directly to them. Consumption of their fishing products after each voyage has to be through an intermediator-the purchasing unit-at fishing ports then those units have their own channels to continue the consuming of fishing products, "said fisherman Van Cong Viet.