Vietnam’s seafood exports faced a number of difficulties in 2010 due to the prolonged impact of the global financial downturn. Many countries put up technical barriers to limit imports. In addition, a prolonged period of drought and heat caused by climate change led to a low water level in the Tien and Hau rivers and shortage of water for tra fish breeding farms. Furthermore, Vietnam’s internal difficulties, such as deflation, inflation, and soaring input materials also affected the farming industry in the Mekong Delta region.

Despite such challenges, the steering board worked closely with relevant ministries, agencies and provinces to direct farmers to achieved significant results in production and consumption. The region had 5,400ha of tra fish farming with a total output of more than 1.1 million tonnes. It exported 600,000 tonnes of tra fish in the first 11 months of 2010, earning US$1.3 billion, down 2.8 percent in volume and 7.8 percent in value compared to 2009. The projected target for 2010 was US$1.4 billion in turnover from 645,000 tonnes of tra fish.