Fish processors threatened by severe fish shortage
Many local fish processors at a review meeting in Ho Chi Minh City last week said they might have to shut down in the face of a severe shortage of fish.
Nguyen Thu Sac, vice chairwoman of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, or Vasep, told association members that many processors would likely lay off workers, scale down production or even shut down business.
She explained that the total output of both natural catch and farmed fish had tumbled in recent months. The situation has become further aggravated as Chinese traders have competed harshly with local processors to buy materials from both sea-faring vessels and farmers.
Pham Xuan Nam of the Khanh Hoa-based Dai Thuan Joint-stock Company said the volume of fish his company purchased from fish ports in Nha Trang met only 30 percent of his company’s processing capacity.
To avoid breaching contracts signed with foreign buyers, local processors in vying for raw fish have pushed up prices, which may result in big losses for them.
Many processors are seeking to import raw fish from other countries, but supplies are also restricted. The vice chairwoman of Vasep said Indonesia had recently imposed a ban on the export of unprocessed seafood, making it difficult to source raw fish for their production.
The input shortage is especially critical for shrimps, according to Truong Dinh Hoe, general secretary of Vasep. Hoe said the shortage of fresh shrimps for processing would continue into next year, and many enterprises are asking for approval from the agriculture ministry to import shrimps from South America for processing.
There are around 147 local seafood processors and exporters struggling with input shortage, according to Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper.
Print 
Many local fish processors at a review meeting in Ho Chi Minh City last week said they might have to shut down in the face of a severe shortage of fish.
Nguyen Thu Sac, vice chairwoman of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, or Vasep, told association members that many processors would likely lay off workers, scale down production or even shut down business.
She explained that the total output of both natural catch and farmed fish had tumbled in recent months. The situation has become further aggravated as Chinese traders have competed harshly with local processors to buy materials from both sea-faring vessels and farmers.
Pham Xuan Nam of the Khanh Hoa-based Dai Thuan Joint-stock Company said the volume of fish his company purchased from fish ports in Nha Trang met only 30 percent of his company’s processing capacity.
To avoid breaching contracts signed with foreign buyers, local processors in vying for raw fish have pushed up prices, which may result in big losses for them.
Many processors are seeking to import raw fish from other countries, but supplies are also restricted. The vice chairwoman of Vasep said Indonesia had recently imposed a ban on the export of unprocessed seafood, making it difficult to source raw fish for their production.
The input shortage is especially critical for shrimps, according to Truong Dinh Hoe, general secretary of Vasep. Hoe said the shortage of fresh shrimps for processing would continue into next year, and many enterprises are asking for approval from the agriculture ministry to import shrimps from South America for processing.
There are around 147 local seafood processors and exporters struggling with input shortage, according to Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper.
Nguyen Thu Sac, vice chairwoman of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, or Vasep, told association members that many processors would likely lay off workers, scale down production or even shut down business.
She explained that the total output of both natural catch and farmed fish had tumbled in recent months. The situation has become further aggravated as Chinese traders have competed harshly with local processors to buy materials from both sea-faring vessels and farmers.
Pham Xuan Nam of the Khanh Hoa-based Dai Thuan Joint-stock Company said the volume of fish his company purchased from fish ports in Nha Trang met only 30 percent of his company’s processing capacity.
To avoid breaching contracts signed with foreign buyers, local processors in vying for raw fish have pushed up prices, which may result in big losses for them.
Many processors are seeking to import raw fish from other countries, but supplies are also restricted. The vice chairwoman of Vasep said Indonesia had recently imposed a ban on the export of unprocessed seafood, making it difficult to source raw fish for their production.
The input shortage is especially critical for shrimps, according to Truong Dinh Hoe, general secretary of Vasep. Hoe said the shortage of fresh shrimps for processing would continue into next year, and many enterprises are asking for approval from the agriculture ministry to import shrimps from South America for processing.
There are around 147 local seafood processors and exporters struggling with input shortage, according to Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper.
