VASEP Vice Chairman Ngo Phuoc Hau described the consumption of large-sized tra and basa catfish in the Mekong River Delta as very positive.

He said in an effort to stabilise the market, the VASEP has asked the government to provide an additional capital of around VND3,500 billion to the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam so that processing enterprises can borrow loans to buy oversized fish. It has also asked the electricity sector to supply enough power for the enterprises to operate at full capacity.

In the long term, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will re-adjust breeding zones to keep pace with the market development. There will be strict control of processing and exporting enterprises to prevent trade frauds and anti-dumping lawsuits.

Although the tra and basa market is not stable, total exports, since the beginning of the year, have reached 260,000 tonnes, estimated at US$610 million, or 35 percent more than the same period last year.