Vendors dry fish in Chraing Chamreh I commune, of Phnom Penh’s Russey Keo district. Heng Chivoan
Cambodia's aquaculture sector faced a challenging year in 2023, producing around 314,000 tonnes of the 360,000-tonne target set by the Fisheries Administration (FiA) and marking a 5% decrease of 16,000 tonnes compared to 2022.
FiA director-general Poum Sotha said that in the past year, the administration oversaw and examined the disposal of medications, aquatic animals and prohibited chemicals in 79 aquaculture farms and inspected hygiene practices in 60 locations.
He said the body also granted health certificates for the export of 880 tonnes of fishery products to China and Thailand.
Sotha added that this year, the FiA aims to enhance aquaculture development through various methods, including market demand analysis, clear production planning, promoting high-quality pure species production, effectively implementing techniques and establishing aquaculture clusters to facilitate technical support and marketing.
“The [FiA] will persist in promoting the development of the fishery value chain and reinforce its authority to monitor and analyse the quality and safety of fishery products,” he stated.
Lemphor Vorith, development association officer and spokesperson for the Cambodian Aquaculturist Association (CAA), said that at the beginning of 2023, the association estimated that 50 to 60% of its members opted not to clean and restock their ponds after harvesting, due to the low profitability caused by diminishing fish prices.
However, he confirmed that the scenario shifted in July, with a significant increase in prices, including “pra” fish (Pangasius djambal) prices rising from 4,000 to 5,200 riel ($0.98 to $1.27) per kilogramme and giant snakehead (Channa micropeltes) prices increasing from 9,000 to 12,000 riel ($2.20 to $2.94) per kilogramme.
Virith noted that many who had previously abandoned their ponds decided to resume cultivation.
“But some aquaculturists faced challenges because the price increase coincided with a spawning period which made it difficult to purchase fish for their farms. Therefore, only about half of those who had temporarily ceased their activities were able to recommence,” he explained.
The spokesperson added that typically, fish are harvested every December or January.
He noted that aquaculturists who started raising fish in May 2023 had already harvested and sold them at favourable prices. Meanwhile, those who began in July or August are expected to harvest in March this year.
“Based on my survey of our fish farmers, after their March or April harvest, they are likely to increase production due to the recently improved fish prices,” he said.
The CAA encompasses a diverse range of participants in the aquaculture sector. This includes pond fish cultivators, feed manufacturers, fish processing entities, traders, cage aquaculturists, breeding facilities, brokers dealing in pond purchases, feed supply centers, academic professionals, aquarium cultivators and breeders, as per the association.
