In Vietnam, shrimp farms occupy 637,000 hectares, up slightly from last year. There are 582,000 hectares of tiger shrimp ponds and 54,500 hectares of white shrimp ponds.

In the first five months of 2018, shrimp farmers harvested 200,000 tons of shrimp, an increase of 11.1 percent over the same period in 2017.  White shrimp accounted for the increases in both area and output.

The price of white shrimp has fallen by $0.45 to $1.31 a kilo since April 2018.

Problems: Higher output in major shrimp producing countries and lower imports by major importers have led to the lower prices for Vietnamese shrimp.

Truong Dinh Hoe, General Secretary of Vietnam’s Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said the price of raw shrimp, especially the white shrimp, was not likely to increase much in 2018.

Le Van Su, Deputy Chairman of the Ca Mau Province’s People’s Committee, said the price of tiger shrimp was steady and 40 percent higher than that of white shrimp. Thirty-count-per-kilo tigers fetch prices of $9.85 to $10.93 a kilo.

In Long An Province, farmers are suffering massive losses, and many have suspended operations to cut loses. Farmers all over Mekong Delta are facing the same issues.