According to Duong Nghia Quoc, Chairman of the Vietnam Pangasius Association has attributed shortages of material Tra fish to a lack of breeding tra fish stocks, noting that there will be limitations in the supply of material Tra fish for exports in 2018 and the prices of exported Tra fish stand high throughout the year.

A representative of a seafood processing firm in Chau Doc city of southern An Giang province says  the company needs up to 200 tonnes of  Tra fish a day to meet growing export demand but it is suffering from the shortages.

Tra fish exports surged 4% to US$1.8 billion last year with China, the US and the EU still being Vietnam's largest importers, says the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).