VNBusinessNews – This year will be hard for domestic catfish farmers, processors and exporters as the output of catfish is predicted to fall by half in the second quarter of this year. The shortage of catfish is due to many farmers running out of capital and halting production.

This will result in a US$500,000 drop in export turnover to US$1 billion, according to many specialists in the sector, the Vietnam News Agency reports.

Those specialists also warn of a drop in international demand for catfish. It is said that catfish processing plants nationwide, with total annual capacity of 1.5 million tons of catfish fillets, will have to operate at about one-third of their full capacity.

The Aquaculture Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will host a conference for the development and consumption of catfish and shrimp in the Mekong Delta’s Can Tho City tomorrow.

The conference, to be joined by representatives from state offices related to the sector, academic institutes and catfish processors and exporters, will focus on practical solutions to help the sector obtain its 2009 turnover target. (SGT)