Many effective methods have been implemented to overcome the challenges of shrimp sales in Nghe An.
(Baonghean.vn) - Jointly purchasing shrimp fry and supplies to reduce input costs; agreeing to extend the farming period to avoid localized oversupply... these are the methods farmers in Nghi Loc (Nghe An) are applying to "cut losses" and minimize difficulties in shrimp sales due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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| From a coastal area of white sand, many people in Nghi Tien have learned to utilize it to raise shrimp on the sand, bringing high economic value. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
Mr. Nguyen Van Hao, a shrimp farmer in Hai Don beach, Bac Thang hamlet, Nghi Tien commune (Nghi Loc district), said: "In nearly 10 years in the profession, never before have shrimp farmers faced such a multitude of difficulties as this year."Adverse weather conditions, including prolonged heat waves and sudden rains, have caused many shrimp to become diseased and die. Input costs such as shrimp fry, feed, and medicine have increased. However, when the shrimp are ready for harvest, prices plummet, and there are difficulties in finding buyers. On average, shrimp farmers are losing 30,000 to 50,000 VND per kilogram of shrimp.
For the past two years, the Covid-19 pandemic has broken out in many localities across the country.output for shrimpThey faced difficulties, prices dropped, and it was very hard to sell their produce. At times, shrimp farmers had to incur losses of hundreds of millions of dong for each farming season.
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| Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the market for shrimp has become difficult, prices have dropped, and shrimp farmers are suffering losses. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
"Necessity is the mother of invention," and during the 2021 shrimp farming season, shrimp farmers in Nghi Tien joined forces, discussing and devising optimal solutions to mitigate market and price risks. Accordingly, the farmers agreed to source shrimp fry, feed, and other farming supplies from the same supplier to reduce input costs, as buying in bulk is always cheaper than buying individually.
Depending on market assessments and discussions among themselves, they decide when to sell at a loss. Specifically, for this year's shrimp crop, after contacting buyers in the North and understanding the difficult situation, the difficulty in selling, and the sharp drop in prices, the households discussed and decided to selectively sell the shrimp before they reached the required weight.
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| Shrimp farmers have agreed among themselves to stagger the stocking times of shrimp to allow for overlapping harvests, avoiding simultaneous harvesting which would lead to localized oversupply and difficulties in consumption. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
Normally, shrimp would only reach a weight of about 30-40 shrimp per kilogram before being harvested for sale. However, due to low prices and increasing losses, farmers are harvesting when the shrimp only reach 70-80 shrimp per kilogram. "This is a way to sell at a loss, reducing investment costs. At the same time, harvesting gradually in batches also reduces the pressure of oversupply," said Mr. Phan Doan Cuong.
In addition, farmers agree among themselves to stagger their farming times in a rolling, overlapping manner to avoid harvesting at the same time, thus regulating supply and preventing price manipulation. For example, if one farmer releases shrimp fry at the beginning of the month, another will release them at the end of the month, with a minimum difference of 15-20 days.
The purpose is toNghi Tien shrimp"We need to maintain a stable supply, always ready to provide to the market, but without creating localized surpluses. Because if the market is difficult, traders will force down prices, leading to even greater losses," said Mr. Luu Dinh Viet, a shrimp farmer.
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| In the recent shrimp harvest, the households have basically sold out 10 tons of shrimp. Currently, people are cleaning their ponds, preparing for the next season. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
Despite facing the common problem of output congestion,Shrimp prices have dropped.However, as with the recent shrimp farming season, tens of tons of shrimp from local farmers have been sold. Currently, farmers are cleaning their ponds, preparing for the next shrimp farming season. Recognizing that the difficulties caused by the disease will continue for a long time, and that the next shrimp farming season will also face similar challenges, shrimp farmers in Nghi Tien remain steadfast.
“We have established a cooperative for shrimp farming on sandy soil with 11 participating households. Accordingly, the households share responsibility in regularly exchanging experiences, supporting each other with farming techniques and disease prevention. At the same time, they facilitate each other's application of science and technology in farming, share market price information, and 'coexist' to improve the productivity, quality, and value of commercial shrimp.”
