This study analyzes management strategies adopted by catfish producers in Socialist Republic of Vietnam （hereinafter referred to as Vietnam） to compete in the global market. Since their entry into the global market in 2000, catfish processing companies in the study area have faced three challenges: anti-dumping tax from United States of America （hereinafter referred to as the United States）, the imbalance of supply and demand between aquaculture and processing companies, and growing quality standards for food safety. Data from the interviews with 16 catfish producers in province of Can Tho in the southern Vietnam show that these companies can adapt to changes in the global market by adopting one or some of the following strategies: establishing their own grow-out sites, obtaining quality certificates, expanding into new markets, and collaborating with other companies to export. The choice of strategies for their companies often depends on the size of the company. The bigger companies can access more stable sources of raw materials and thus produce high-value products that fulfill quality standards. Meanwhile, smaller companies face uncertainty in the supply of raw materials and often struggle to meet quality requirements and maintain stable exports. Differentiation is usually the means of survival for small companies. However, it might not be possible in this industry due to the high barriers of the global export markets. Therefore, strengthening cooperation with export companies should be considered as a critical strategy. Catfish processing companies have been improving their ability to solve various problems in the global market by responding to the mentioned-above three issues, and Vietnam's catfish industry is expected to continue to grow significantly in the future. However, it is expected that the stratification of the processing companies will further progress through the diversification of export destination markets and the response to global standard certificates.
View full abstract
