[PHNOM PENH POST]
Crocodile farmers in Siem Reap are turning away from the export of
hatchlings to Vietnam, choosing instead sell the reptiles for their
skins.
Luon Nam, president of the province’s Crocodile Feeding
Association, said yesterday the reliance on Vietnam was an unsustainable
strategy for the industry.
Any change in demand from Cambodia’s eastern neighbour left farmers vulnerable to falling prices, he said.
The
CFA shipped about 200,000 crocodiles to Vietnam this year. That was
100,000, or 33 per cent, fewer than in 2010, Luon Nam said.
“The recent decrease in crocodile babies is because we have only the Vietnamese market, and that puts pressure on us,” he said.
Newly
hatched crocodiles had fetched US$27 each earlier this year, but later
fell by as much as 37 per cent to $17, Luon Nam said. This had pushed
farmers towards the sale of crocodile skins instead, he said.
“Feeding
for skins is expected to see strong demand, because they are wanted in
Vietnam, China, Thailand and Singapore,” Luon Nam said.
Crocodiles
were sold for their skins at the age of three, when they had reached a
length of 1.7 to 1.8 metres, Heng Sovannara, chief of the Crocodile
Development Division at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries, said One centimetre of skin sold for between $5 and $6, he
said.
Sieam Reap-based farmer Toem Bun Seng said he was feeding about 500 crocodiles that he would sell for their skins.
Toem
Bun Seng said he had moved away from selling hatchlings because of the
volatility of the Vietnamese market. “I will increase the number of
crocodiles I’m raising for skins next year,” he said, adding that he
hoped the government would find ways to subsidise the growing industry.
Heng Sovannara said the government was encouraging farmers to focus on crocodile skins.
“We want farmers to think about the future, and that’s exporting skins,” he said.
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