The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has warned shrimp farmers to remain calm and refrain from selling large batches of white-legged shrimps which have been dropping in price.

Due to concerns about falling prices, many farmers in the Mekong Delta have been selling the shrimp at a low price.

The price of 100 white-legged shrimp per kilo in Soc Trang Province is now VND70,000-80,000 (US$3.07-3.51), a drop of VND20,000-30,000 compared to earlier this year. The price of 60 white-legged shrimp per kilo is now only VND100,000.

At these prices, shrimp farmers can only break even or have little profit.

Vo Van Nhut, a shrimp farmer in My Xuyen District in Soc Trang Province, for example, said the latest crop had lost more than VND10 million.

According to experts, the price has been low because several processing companies have been importing smaller shrimps and exporting them, especially to companies in the Chinese market.

In addition, local processing plants are facing fierce competition when exporting to the US market because of cheaper Indian shrimp exports. — VNS