The deterioration of weakly vertical linkages in tra catfish industry in An Giang Province, Vietnam

Abstract

This study analyzes the vertical linkage effectiveness between fish farmers and processing companies on the mutual beneficial relationship, knowledge transfer, quality standards, embedded services, and payment before the United State (US) Department of Commerce has decided to impose new rates of antidumping taxes on tra (Pangasius) fish fillets imported from Vietnam. After conducting the first survey of 70 fish farmers and five in-depth interviews with directors of processing enterprises, representatives of provincial authority, and experts in the field during March and April of 2012 in An Giang province, Vietnam, we found that the mutual beneficial relationship was the most influent factor to vertical linkage effectiveness. However, after new rates of antidumping duties were imposed, we conducted the second survey of 17 in-depth interviews with 12 fish farmers, four local officers and one expert during April and June of 2013 in An Giang province, and recognized that almost all vertical linkages with processing companies to export to the US market have been deteriorated and dispersed.