Feed costs for shrimp farming have risen sharply since the start of 2026, according to industry sources. Trung, owner of Trung Nhan aquaculture supply agency in An Qui Commune, Vinh Long Province, said prices have undergone multiple increases in line with market fluctuations.
Most producers have raised prices by 5 to 7 per cent. At the beginning of the year, shrimp feed rose by about VND 1,200 per kg, followed by a further increase of VND 1,500 to VND 1,800 per kg in the latest adjustment.
Shrimp feed prices have increased at least twice since early 2026 (Photo: Huan Tran).
Beyond feed, input costs have climbed sharply. Total shrimp farming expenses this year have increased by around 30 to 40 per cent, placing significant pressure on households.
The upward trend is not limited to Vinh Long. Across the Mekong Delta, suppliers report that major manufacturers are preparing additional increases of VND 100 to VND 300 per kg in the coming days. In An Giang, feed products with protein content of 22 to 26 per cent have risen by VND 7,000 to VND 12,000 per 40 kg bag compared with the start of the year.
Producers attribute the rise to a combination of factors, including persistently high prices of imported raw materials such as maize, soybean meal and fishmeal, alongside geopolitical tensions affecting shipping routes and driving up transport and insurance costs. A recovery in seafood exports in the first quarter of 2026 has also added pressure to domestic supply and demand.
Mai Van Hoang, chairman of the Vietnam shrimp association, said aquaculture feed has become a major bottleneck for the sector. Domestic producers remain heavily dependent on imported inputs, while about 90 per cent of feed supply is controlled by foreign invested companies.
“This makes the sector highly sensitive to global market fluctuations, directly affecting farmers’ production,” Hoang said.
Raw shrimp prices in Mekong Delta provinces have continuously decreased since March (Photo: Huan Tran).
In contrast to rising costs, domestic shrimp prices have fallen sharply after the Lunar New Year and declined further in early April.
Data from the ministry of agriculture and environment shows prices dropped across key farming areas including Can Tho, An Giang and Ca Mau, particularly for white leg shrimp.
The decline is largely due to processing companies adopting a more cautious stance amid uncertainty in the US market, especially following the 19th administrative review with higher than expected preliminary tariffs.
In Ca Mau, white leg shrimp sized at 20 per kg traded at around VND 210,000 to VND 215,000 (approximately USD 8.20 to USD 8.40) per kg in March, down VND 12,000 from the previous month. The 30 per kg category fell more sharply to VND 136,000 to VND 141,000 (approximately USD 5.30 to USD 5.50), a drop of VND 16,000.
Shrimp processing for export at an enterprise in Ca Mau (Photo: Huan Tran).
The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers said prices in April have moved well below the peak recorded in early January, particularly for medium and large sizes.
The association warned that falling selling prices combined with rising input costs are significantly squeezing profit margins, weakening the competitiveness of Vietnamese shrimp against lower cost producers such as Ecuador and India.
Rising costs and weak output prices are also affecting farmers’ stocking decisions. If the trend continues, raw material supply in the coming months could be disrupted, raising the risk of shortages during the peak processing and export season at the end of the year.
