The Vietnam Tra Fish Association ( VTFA) was established in the southern Mekong delta An Giang province last Saturday, reported Vietnamese state-run news agency on Monday.

VTFA's functions are to defend farmers' legitimate rights and encourage their fair competition, as well as to boost the development of the tra fish breeding industry, said the report.

VTFA has now 143 members from provinces and cities nationwide. Areas under Tra fish breeding in the Mekong delta is about 6,000 hectares, mainly along the Tien and Hau rivers.

The association targets an output of 1.2 million to 1.5 million tons of tra fish products for export and about 150,000 tons for domestic consumption this year. The export value is expected to reach $1.8 million to 2.25 billion, and about 23,000 jobs will be provided to laborers.

Last year, Vietnam pocketed $6.15 billion from sea food exports, of which over $1.74 billion came from tra fish exports, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Vietnamese tra fish exports are now available in more than 140 countries and regions, with the European Union accounting for 24.4 percent of the market share, the United States 20.5 percent, and the other member countries of Association of Southeast Asian Nations 6.3 percent.