
Enterprises and farmers are profitable
Tran Van Trung, Director of Anh Khoa Seafood Company Limited in Ca Mau Province, said that the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic affected shrimp exports, as some countries controlled imports more strictly. Therefore, goods have to wait a whole month for the host country to take samples for quarantine after being brought to the ports, leading to higher costs.
However, thanks to the initiative and good adaptation, from the beginning of this year to now, the company's shrimp exports have increased significantly compared to the same period last year. It is expected that the company's exports will be 2-3 times higher than the previous year.
As one of the longtime enterprises in the shrimp industry, which also faced many difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, the representative of Minh Cuong Seafood Processing Joint Stock Company, said that shrimp exports of his company grew fairly well in the first months of this year. Currently, the company tries to maintain production and export and implement strict Covid-19 prevention measures, with the determination not to let the disease enter the factory.
According to the Department of Industry and Trade of Ca Mau Province, by the end of May this year, the province's shrimp exports were estimated at more than US$423 million, achieving 40 percent of this year's plan, up more than 16 percent year-on-year. In Bac Lieu Province, the total export turnover of shrimp products in the first five months of this year was estimated at $280 million, up more than 9 percent over the same period. In other provinces in the Mekong Delta, shrimp exports also grew positively compared to the same period last year.
Along with exporting, many shrimp farming households in the Mekong Delta continue to expand production and stabilize their lives. Mr. Pham Van Quan, a farmer in My Long Nam Commune in Cau Ngang District of Tra Vinh Province, said that a few months before, the price of black tiger shrimps sized 30 pieces per kilogram was up to VND200,000-VND220,000 per kg, which now has decreased to about VND170,000 per kg, and that of white-leg shrimps sized 30 pieces per kg is at VND130,000-VND140,000 per kg. At this price level, farmers still ensure profits.

In the past time, freight rates for exported goods and container rental costs have climbed sharply. Along with a shortage of ships, many costs arising from the implementation of Covid-19 prevention measures have caused burdens on exporters, reducing competitiveness with other shrimp exporting countries. Besides, the price of shrimp feed continuously rose to VND800,000-VND900,000 per bag of 20 kilograms, pushing up production costs.
These are pressures on many shrimp farming households in the Mekong Delta, which require reasonable response solutions to ensure the source of raw shrimp for processing in the near future.