Raising costs increase
Mr. Ngo Quang Hung, a long-time high-tech shrimp farmer in Buu Dong hamlet, Long Dien commune, said that feed costs currently account for more than half of the total shrimp farming costs. As soon as feed prices increase, total production costs can increase by 5-15%.
Not to mention minerals and microorganisms that treat the environment also increase, making costs even heavier," Mr. Hung shared.
Not only Mr. Hung, many shrimp farming households in key areas of Ca Mau all believe that the current production cost level has increased significantly compared to a few years ago. This has caused the cost of raw shrimp to increase.
In the cost structure of shrimp farming, feed is always the largest expense, especially for intensive and super-intensive farming models, which can account for over 50% of total costs. When feed prices fluctuate, the entire production plan of farmers is immediately affected.
According to people, shrimp farming today no longer relies heavily on experience as before, but requires close monitoring of each factor such as water environment, feed amount and disease situation. Just a small mistake can cause the entire farming crop to fail.
Reduce costs, strengthen disease prevention
Currently, the price of white leg shrimp type 100 shrimp/kg is only about 97,000 VND/kg, down more than 10,000 VND/kg. Shrimp size 30 shrimp/kg is about 128,000 VND/kg, down about 15,000 VND/kg. Notably, large shrimp size 20 shrimp/kg is only at 160,000 - 170,000 VND/kg, down from 60,000 - 70,000 VND/kg compared to before Tet.
This price level makes many farming households almost unprofitable, even facing the risk of losses if they encounter disease risks or high loss rates.
Mr. Long Van Nghia, a shrimp farmer in Vinh Hau commune with more than 20 years of experience, said that this year's farming season is potentially risky. Since the beginning of 2026, costs have continuously increased, while shrimp are frequently affected by diseases, especially white spot disease.
“For more than 20 years of shrimp farming, I have never seen a crop as difficult as this year. Costs are increasing but selling prices are falling sharply, farmers are very worried,” Mr. Nghia said.
For extensive farming models, prolonged hot weather and high salinity also make shrimp prone to diseases, increasing the risk of damage.
From a market perspective, seafood processing exporting enterprises said they are under great pressure on transportation costs, making it difficult for raw shrimp purchasing prices to increase in at least the next 3 months. Some businesses reduced purchasing power, while consumers tightened spending also negatively affected shrimp prices.
In this context, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ca Mau province strengthens coordination with localities to guide people to apply appropriate technical measures; and at the same time promote environmental monitoring and early warning to limit damage.
At the same time, the province also encourages people to develop farming models adapted to climate change such as shrimp - forest, shrimp - rice, ecological farming to reduce costs and improve production efficiency.
Ca Mau has an aquaculture area of about 460,000ha, of which shrimp farming area accounts for about 450,000ha - the largest in the country. Many farming areas have achieved international certifications such as ASC, BAP, Organic...
