Fish farmers in difficulties as tourism affected by Covid-19
"We tried to sell the fish online before April 1. What we earned was enough to pay for the feed and some other expenses. But it's very difficult because transportation is just stuck. If there's no solution, we may have to find other jobs," he said.
Le Thanh Hai from Suoi Ho Eco-tourism Cooperative said he still had over 20 tonnes of fish left and incurred tens of millions of VND in losses each day on buying feed. The fish prices also dropped too, causing more difficulties. Salmon prices were previously VND220,000 (USD9) per kilo but now have dropped to VND180,000 and he can hardly find customers.
"We called on neighbours and relatives to help buy some for us. I hope we can find a way to be connected with the hotels and restaurants in the deltas," he said.
According to Sapa Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, about 100 tonnes of fish can't be sold yet. They have advised farmers to process salmon to make it easier to preserve and bring them to other provinces. Five to seven firms have offered help for processed fish. They are still searching for more outlets for farmers.
"The problem is the total amount of fish is too high. We have worked with banks to lower interest rates and co-operated with the Department of Industry and Trade to help sell the fish," said Tran Thi Lan Huong, deputy head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
