Vietnam's basa fish crisis! Raw material shortages drive up pond prices, fingerlings surge to a six-year high.

Pond prices for basa fish have been rebounding continuously, with raw material supply becoming tight. Data from a consultancy firm in Ho Chi Minh City, which has been monitoring the aquatic market for a long time, shows that the pond prices for Vietnamese basa fish have been rebounding continuously since hitting a low in the summer, rising for several consecutive weeks after hitting the bottom in the 29th week. By the 39th week (September 22–28), prices for all sizes reached their highest points of the year. Large-sized fish weighing over 1.2 kilograms (mainly for the Chinese market) have broken through 30,000 Vietnamese dong per kilogram (approximately 1.14 USD per kilogram), while prices for fish weighing between 800 grams and 1.2 kilograms have stabilized at 29,500 Vietnamese dong per kilogram. This represents an increase of about 10% compared to the same period in 2024 and exceeds the historical average over the past five years. Le Thi Thuy Trang, the sales director of the ...