Le Vinh Tan,deputy head of the Central Economic Committee, said the industry hasbeen showing signs of decline in the past five years and faced withseveral challenges like decline in exports to major markets, tradebarriers in some markets and unhealthy competition among processors andfarmers.
Tra fish was a major national product, and so therestructuring and sustainable development of the industry must be doneat every stage from zoning and farming to processing and consumption, hesaid.
The survival of the industry depended much on developing export markets, which account for most of the output, he said.
VuTrong Binh, head of the Central Economic Committee's Local EconomyDepartment, saying the industry is plagued by oversupply, called forprecisely identifying the area needed for breeding tra and setting up acentre to research and improve the quality of tra fry and provide marketinformation about the fish.
Duong Quoc Xuan, deputy head of theSouthwest Region Steering Committee, said restructuring of the traindustry was one of the components of a regional linkage projectcovering the Mekong Delta's three major products – rice, shrimp andfish, and fruits.
Delta provinces should join hands to reviewthe tra breeding area and trade promotion activities and study traprocessors to properly restructure the sector, he said.
Participantstold the seminar that the delta provinces should follow a Governmentdecree zoning land for pangasius farming and regulating processing andexport.
Truong Thi Le Khanh, chairwoman of Vinh Hoan Corporation,said the restructure of the industry should cover the quality of trafry, use of advanced farming techniques and diversifying products.
Besides, processors would have to improve their financial capability and business strategies, she said.
The Government should offer tax breaks and have flexible policies, she said.
Tra is bred on 6,000ha of ponds, mostly in the Mekong Delta, according to the Vietnam Tra Fish Association (VTFA).
Statistics from VTFA show that Vietnam’s tra fish export was valued at1.76 billion USD in 2014, up 0.4 percent against that of 2013.
Theexport saw an increase in such markets as China, Hong Kong (China)Colombia, and Mexico in 2014. However the sector faced a continuousdecline in the two largest markets, namely the European Union and theUS.
Vietnam accounts for the major share of the global tra fishmarket, with its products being sold to nearly 150 countries andterritories.-VNA