Ca MauDue to increased market demand around Tet and decreased output, each kilogram of Western goby fish increased by about 50,000 VND, to 150,000 VND.
Mr. Truong Lap Dinh, in hamlet 5, Tan Thanh commune, Ca Mau city, said that he and many local goby farmers often raise fish to catch the harvest close to Tet, in order to sell at high prices.
This year, he stocked at a lower density than previous years, due to increased seed prices. He just sold more than 4 tons of goby fish for 150,000 VND per kg, minus expenses and a profit of more than 400 million VND.
Farmers in Tan Thanh commune harvest goby fish. Image: An Minh
In Ca Mau province, there are more than 50 households raising goby fish with an area of about 40 hectares. Among them, Tan Thanh commune, Ca Mau city has the largest area with more than 40 farming households, an area of more than 25 hectares. Normally, with a selling price of 90,000-100,000 VND per kg, for every 1,000 m2 of farming, farmers earn a profit of 40-50 million VND.
Goby fish are harvested after about 4 months of farming, reaching a size of 30-50 fish per kg. If the price has not yet reached, the farmer can raise it for a few more months in the pond.
Mr. Ho Quoc Trang, Chairman of Tan Thanh Commune Farmers’ Association, said the price of commercial goby fish usually increases every Lunar New Year due to the need for people to buy raw materials for drying. “This year, production decreased by about 30% because the price of seed is too high,” Mr. Trang said, adding that the closer Tet is, the price of fish will increase even more.
According to traders and farmers, the price of commercial products has increased because fingerlings are now being exploited from the sea while production is decreasing. About four months ago, fingerlings started to skyrocket to 170 VND each but were very scarce. This has caused many people to choose low-density farming or other aquatic species, leading to recent declines in production.
Goby fish is an omnivorous aquatic species, its food is plankton, soil organisms, algae, organic detritus and industrial food. In the Western provinces, farmers can dig ponds or take advantage of shrimp ponds to raise goby fish in rotation, with an area of 1,000-2,000 m2.
An Minh