In the past, when visiting Lam Hai, people would tell stories about getting rich and prosperous thanks to shrimp and crab farming. However, in recent years, the prices of shrimp and crab have been volatile, rising for a few days and then falling again, leaving farmers "at a loss."
Visiting the shrimp and crab farming model under the mangrove forest of Ms. Ngo Ngoc Luom's family in Trai Luoi B hamlet, and inquiring about her family's shrimp and crab farming situation, Ms. Luom shook her head in dismay: "Now I'm just stocking sparingly, not expecting much. A few years ago, each tide brought in 15-20 million VND for the family, averaging a steady 30 million VND per month. Now, earning even a few million VND per tide is difficult. Partly because the water source is polluted, the shrimp are not as good as before, and partly because shrimp prices have plummeted, making it no longer profitable for shrimp and crab farmers."
It's not just Ms. Luom's family; the purchase price of shrimp and crabs has affected farmers throughout the province. Shrimp farming, once considered a highly profitable business, now sometimes breaks even. Some households, in order to survive, have to take on additional side jobs. For example, Ms. Luom's family also raises crabs, supplying them to local farmers and selling them to districts in Kien Giang and Bac Lieu provinces.
Mr. Le Thanh Thua's family in Ong Nguon hamlet is in a similar situation. Mr. Thua shared: "Previously, while waiting for the shrimp to grow big enough to harvest, my family supplemented our income by catching crabs to supply to neighboring areas. It used to be a side job, but now it's become our main occupation because shrimp and crab prices are so volatile. Before, we had breaks from catching crabs, but now we catch them year-round. With the upcoming pond drying season, we hope prices will be more stable in the new season."
Mr. Nguyen Viet Khanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Lam Hai commune, said: "The commune has planned three specialized shrimp and crab production zones: a specialized zone (758 hectares), where the locality encourages people to practice super-intensive and intensive farming; a zone managed by the commune (181 hectares); and a forest land zone managed by the Forest Management Board with over 600 hectares. In this zone, a seafood company provides technical support to people to raise shrimp to meet Organic standards, which has initially yielded very positive results," Mr. Khanh added.
Regarding the issue of falling commercial shrimp prices, Mr. Khanh shared: “Shrimp of the 20 pieces/kg size used to cost between 250,000 and 260,000 VND/kg, but now it's only 180,000 to 190,000 VND/kg; the 40 pieces/kg size used to cost between 130,000 and 140,000 VND/kg, but now it's only about 100,000 VND/kg. This is a sharp drop, significantly impacting people's income.”
"We also met with the people and encouraged them to start farming, but industrial farmers are leaving their ponds idle because the price of essential supplies has increased, making farming unprofitable; while super-intensive and intensive farmers are only farming sparingly. We encourage them to farm more, but what will they do if the price of shrimp isn't good at harvest time?" Mr. Khanh worried.
According to reports from relevant agencies, aquaculture productivity increased by 4.8% in the first months of the year, with shrimp production increasing by 5.8%. The province has held numerous meetings with businesses to jointly address difficulties and obstacles. Farmers have also complained about high input costs and low output prices, but this is due to market forces, causing significant difficulties for farmers in the province. The province has sent several documents to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development requesting them to propose solutions to the Government in the future.
The entire province has 6,300 hectares of intensive and super-intensive shrimp farming, involving over 7,000 farming households; the remainder are extensive or improved extensive farming. Those engaged in intensive and super-intensive farming are facing significant difficulties as shrimp prices continue to fall. The "bumper harvest, low prices" phenomenon is not a recent occurrence but has been ongoing for over six months. Shrimp farmers are anxious and uncertain about whether to continue farming or stop, and if they stop, what else should they raise? This is an extremely difficult problem.
Mr. Chau Cong Bang, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that the aquaculture industry will face many difficulties in the coming period, including rising essential costs, volatile export markets, and difficulties in accessing capital for shrimp farming.
"However, according to forecasts, shrimp prices will rise again. This is a welcome sign. But compared to a few months ago, shrimp production in the province has decreased and is expected to continue to decline in the coming months because farmers are still hesitant about the price and are limiting their farming activities," Mr. Bang commented.
The relevant authorities also suggested that localities replicate effective production models to reduce input costs. Establishing linkages from the beginning of the season to ensure product sales is crucial to helping people remain committed to shrimp farming.
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