Financial analysis of red tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) in cage cultured in the mekong delta

Abstract

The study on Tilapia (Oreochromis SP.) cultured in cage system in the Mekong Delta was conducted from July to October 2025 to evaluate the technical and financial aspects of this farming model. Data were collected through interviews with 30 farming households in An Giang district and 30 households in Can Tho city. The results showed that each household operated an average of 4,0 ± 3.4 cages with an average volume of 290.2 ± 162.4 m³ per cage. Fingerlings had an average weight of 21.4 g per fish and were stocked at a density of 119.7 ± 15.1 fish/m³. After 189 days of culture, the fish reached an average weight of 588.2 g per fish, with a productivity of 48.0 ± 10.5 kg/m³ per crop. The survival rate was 67.8%, and the economic feed conversion ratio (eFCR) was 1.6. The total cost for one production cycle was 1,546.7 thousand VND per m³, resulting in a profit of 324.1 thousand VND per m³ and a profit ratio of 0.3 time. The main challenges of red tilapia cage culture included fish diseases, water pollution, and fluctuations in market prices.