Compared with 2003, some plants are more than 2.3 times and the total design capacity is 2.7 times more.

Ca Mau, Can Tho, Tien Giang, Kien Giang, An Giang are provinces of which account for 53% of seafood processing plants the whole region. However, due to the overdevelopment while developing material sources are limited, the processing plants fall into chronic shortage of raw materials.

In 2003, the Mekong Delta  has just 83 mills with the total designed capacity of  444,464 tons per year but the actual processing only getting 222,569 tons, accounting for 50.1% design capacity. From 2004 to 2009, the number of factories increased, from 96 to 193 plants, the total design capacity from 496,435 tons per year increased to 1.2 million tons per year. But on the whole time, due to severe shortage of raw materials each year of actual processing capacity of the plant only reaches 51.7% - 58.6% of design capacity. 5 months of this year, the actual processing of aquatic plants in the region reached only 40% - 59% of design capacity.

Particularly in Ca Mau, An Giang, Can Tho, tens of factories only work from 35% - 50% design capacity resulting in tens of thousands of workers were fired. According to experts' estimates, in 2010, raw material supplied for processing plants in the Mekong Delta is up to 750,000 tons, only 62% the design capacity of the plant. So this year, the seafood processing plant here continue in lack of raw materials (!).

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s plan to 2015, aquatic production processing Mekong Delta region is one million tons per year, lower than the total designed capacity of processing plants of 200,000 tons. Therefore, from now on to the time, it is not advisable to build more seafood processing plants in the region.

Source: VNA - SGGP

Translated by Vietfish Community