Sturgeon is a cold-water fish with high economic value, especially caviar which is popular in the world market and in Vietnam.

In our country, from 2004-2005, fertilized sturgeon eggs were imported by the Aquaculture Research Institute I for successful experimental farming in Sa Pa district (Lao Cai). In 2006, sturgeon were introduced for experimental farming in Lam Dong.

Currently, sturgeon is being farmed in 21 provinces, mainly in the Northern mountainous region and the Central Highlands. Sturgeon production has increased sharply from 75 tons in 2007 to 4,303 tons in 2023. It is estimated that in the first 6 months of this year, the output of this type of fish reached nearly 2,000 tons.

Lam Dong and Lao Cai are key sturgeon farming areas, with many large-scale farming facilities in our country. Of which, Lam Dong's output in 2021 reached 1,200 tons, in 2022 it was 1,500 tons and in 2023 it reached 2,297 tons; while sturgeon output in Lao Cai over the years reached 239 tons, 757 tons and 665 tons respectively.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chau, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lam Dong province, said that the whole province has about 109 cold-water fish farms, mainly sturgeon, with a total area of ​​about 54 hectares and 640 cages and rafts on irrigation and hydroelectric lakes. Revenue from sturgeon is estimated at 450 billion VND, contributing significantly to the production value of the aquaculture industry, increasing income for organizations and individuals and developing the local economy.

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Vietnam is in the top 10 countries with the largest sturgeon farming in the world. Photo: Le Duong

Every year, the facilities also produce over 5 million sturgeon fry to serve local farming needs and export to several provinces across the country, Mr. Chau said.

The development of sturgeon farming in recent years has put Vietnam in the group of 10 countries with the largest sturgeon production in the world, including: China, Russia, Italy, Bulgaria, Iran, the US, France, Vietnam, Poland and Germany.

In addition to commercial fish farming, many mountain sturgeon farms in our country also raise fish for eggs to be processed into high-end products, meeting the consumption needs of domestic and export markets.

In 2020, the country's processed sturgeon egg output is estimated at 3 tons. The sturgeon egg farming and caviar processing areas are mainly concentrated in Lam Dong. In this province, facilities have invested in both commercial farming and developing some sturgeon breeds to process caviar products.

In recent years, facilities in Lam Dong have invested in technological lines to process farmed sturgeon eggs for sale in the domestic market and for export.

Accordingly, the output of caviar produced by enterprises in Lam Dong province has continuously increased. Specifically, in 2017, the output reached 1 ton, and by 2020, it reached about 2 tons. The technology of processing canned caviar is increasingly perfected, meeting the increasing demands of the market.

Vietnamese sturgeon eggs are sold for about 40 million VND/kg on the market, cheaper than imported salted sturgeon eggs.

China is the world's largest producer of caviar, followed by European countries including Russia, Italy, France, Poland and Germany.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the consumption of caviar is increasing. Currently, the total demand for caviar in the world is about 2,000 tons per year.

Caviar and caviar substitutes have recently become increasingly popular worldwide. The future of the sturgeon and caviar trade is promising, as sturgeon farms and consumer markets are rapidly expanding globally.

If caviar production continues on its current trend, caviar supply could exceed consumer demand. High caviar production rates, coupled with diversification of caviar sources, will allow greater access to this traditionally luxurious caviar market.

Accordingly, caviar will no longer be expensive. By reducing prices, middle-income consumers can become caviar customers.

Albino caviar is as expensive as gold, only for the super rich

A box of albino sturgeon eggs costs more than 2.6 billion VND, more expensive than a luxury Porsche 911.