Customers browse ornemental fish at a shop in HCM City's District 6 (Photo: afamily.com) HCM City (VNA) - The demand for ornamental fish in the country islarge but fish breeders in HCM City have not fully exploited this marketbecause of their small scale of production.
The city, which leads the country in ornamental fish production, has more than 290fish farms and households that breed them in around 88ha of water, according tothe city Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s fisheriessub-department.
More than half the households breed their fish in cement tanks, while the restuse ponds or glass tanks.
They mostly breed discus fish.
The markets for ornamental fish in large cities like HCM City, Hanoi, Can Tho, DaNang, and Hai Phong and other provinces are large, fish producers said.
Le Nhu Phu, who owns Phu Khang Ornamental Fish Establishment in District 12,said the main limitation is that the city’s ornamental fish breeders operate ona small scale.
Besides, they do not have much variety to offer either, he said.
Vu Cam Luong of the HCM City University of Agriculture and Forestry told SaiGon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper that consumers’ requirementsare evolving steadily.
But breeders mostly keep churning out existing species, resulting in a lack ofdiversity, he said.
Le Huu Thien, Director of the Thien Duc Ornamental Creature Corp in Cu Chi district,said more and more species are used as ornamental fish, including manyfreshwater species listed in the Convention on International Trade inEndangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and marine species.
Therefore, it is important to cross breed ornamental species to meet theincreasing and diverse needs, he said.
Luong said the cost of ornamental fishes accounts for only 10 percent of themoney hobbyists spend, with ponds, equipment and other services needed forraising fish accounting for the rest.
These services help increase the value addition in the ornamental fish sector,and the domestic market should be developed by meeting the needs of consumers,he said.
The city supports ornamental fish producers, including through transfer offarming techniques and preferential loans.
The city produces about 135 million ornamental fish a year.
In the first 10 months of this year it exported nearly 16.25 million ornamentalfishes, 14.5 percent more than in the same period last year, according to thefisheries sub-department.
It targets full-year exports of 18-20 million fish worth 20-25 million USD, up15-20 percent year-on-year.-VNA
VNA
