To protect consumers and prevent vendors from arbitrarily hiking prices, in May the Vientiane Industry and Commerce Department\u00a0announced that farmed fish\u00a0could not be sold for more than 20,000 kip per kg. But the market price has now risen to 23,000-25,000 kip.\u00a0Consumers are calling on the relevant government bodies to closely monitor the situation.<\/p>\n
A vendor at the Natom village market in Xaythany district, Ms Mee, told\u00a0that at the beginning of this year she\u00a0bought fish from breeders for 15,000-18,000 kip per kg but this month she paid 20,000 kip.\u00a0\u201cTo make a profit, I have\u00a0to charge consumers more,\u201d she said.\u00a0Vendors in some markets\u00a0are selling fish for 23,000 kip\u00a0per kg, while others charge 25,000 kip depending on the\u00a0sale price demanded by fish\u00a0farmers.\u00a0The rising price of farmed\u00a0fish has caused more people\u00a0to buy pork and other meat.\u00a0A fish vendor at Nonkhort\u00a0market in Xaysettha district, Ms Nhay, told\u00a0that in the past she had been able to sell about 200kg of\u00a0farmed fish each day but now\u00a0she could sell only 50-60kg.\u00a0According to a Vientiane fish farmer, the wholesale price of fish rose during\u00a0the rainy season. Many fish farms, especially on the Nam\u00a0Ngum river, were flooded.\u00a0Farmers lost thousands of\u00a0fish with most being swept\u00a0into the river and others dying.\u00a0Farmers are also suffering\u00a0from rising costs due to the unfavourable kip-baht exchange rate, which means the cost of fish feed and fingerlings is higher than before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Large numbers of fish farmers in Vientiane have given up raising fish after being unable to compete with\u00a0the low market price offered by foreign fish farmers.\u00a0Fish farming in Laos, particularly tilapia, is concentrated along the Nam Ngum and Mekong rivers.\u00a0However, local authorities say the price of\u00a0farmed fish will soon fall\u00a0when farmers can once again\u00a0supply sufficient quantities to meet market demand.\u00a0During the rainy season, the cost of many kinds of food items fluctuates, including rice and vegetables.<\/p>\n