The spring - summer shrimp downs 10 - 20% in prices

As one of the large-scale shrimp farming households in Loc Ha district (Ha Tinh), Tran Van An, a shrimp farmer in Thach Chau commune, has just sold more than 10 tons of shrimp but he does not feel very excited. The shrimp price of this crop is too low. According to An's information, in this shrimp crop, microsporidian disease (EHP) occurred with constant complicated developments. Lake owners had to spend a large amount of money on disease prevention during the farming process.

“Raising shrimp is already hard, now the price of commercial shrimp is low, the 60 shrimps/kg size only is worth VND 125,000. After deducting all expenses, there is not much profit, I might not raise the next batch," An gave out a sigh.

In the same situation, in a farming area of more than 2.1 ha, Le Van Dung, in Thach Son commune, Thach Ha district also sold nearly 4 tons of commercial shrimp with sizes from 70 to 75 heads per kg to traders in Thanh Hoa with the price of VND 105,000/kg. Dung said that the shrimp output this year was not much, but the selling price was too low, down 10 - 15%, sometimes 20% compared to the previous year.

“To reach the size of 75 - 80 shrimps/kg, the production cost per kg of shrimp this crop is estimated at VND 85,000. The farming time is from 2 to 3 months. The longer the farming, the higher the cost and the loss rate, so It is very difficult to make a profit at the current purchase price of traders”. He was also concerned that when households harvest at the same time in the main season, there was a high possibility that the price would be even lower.

Market survey in localities with large farming areas such as the districts of Cam Xuyen, Nghi Xuan, Thach Ha, Ky Anh showed that the productivity and output of shrimp in the spring-summer season 2023 was not high, meanwhile, the selling price is lower than the average of many years. Live whiteleg shrimp of the size 80 - 90 shrimps/kg are purchased by traders at only VND 95,000 - 98,000/kg. The 70 shimps/kg type is around VND 105,000/kg; 50 shrimps/kg is VND 140,000/kg; 40 shrimps/kg from VND 160,000 to 165,000/kg. The selling price of frozen shrimp is usually VND 10,000/kg lower than live shrimp.

The market is bleak, the price of fish is precarious, causing many farmers to intend to "hang up the lake".

Ho Dung (Xuan Pho commune, Nghi Xuan district) said, “Currently, the price of shrimp feed fluctuates from VND 30,000 to 34,000/kg, an increase of VND 3,000 - 5,000/kg compared to the beginning of 2023. labor and disease prevention chemical costs have increased by 10 - 15% compared to before. In order to avoid losses, many households do not stock new litter, some people only release seeds in 30 - 40% of the area to probe on the market. But according to farmers, shrimp will still be difficult to sell soon because the country's export activities are facing many obstacles”.

According to information from a shrimp trader, the price of raw shrimp in some countries, including Ecuador, is lower, sometimes even half of Vietnam, so China now mainly imports Ecuadorian shrimp. This affects the output and price of shrimp in the country, not only in Ha Tinh.

Luu Quang Can, Deputy Director of Ha Tinh Sub-Department of Fisheries, said that in this spring-summer shrimp crop the province farms more than 1,900 ha, mainly whiteleg shrimp. Although it was only the beginning of the harvest, compared to the same period in 2022, shrimp prices have decreased by 10 - 15%.

The reason for the sharp drop in shrimp prices is due to the global recession, American and European consumers tighten their wallets. Inventories of export enterprises are still large. Countries such as Indonesia and Ecuador harvest shrimp early so their shrimp outputs are superior, becoming big competitors with Vietnam. These countries also supply at a cheaper price than Vietnamese shrimp from USD 1 to 2 per kg, making it difficult for Vietnamese export to find orders.