Shrimp harvesting. (Photo: MARD)

EU-funded project to boost Vietnamese shrimp production

VIET NAM
Friday, May 27, 2016, 03:00 (GMT + 9)

The Oxfam Vietnam and the International Collaborating Center for Aquaculture and Fisheries Sustainability (ICAFIS) under Vietnam Fisheries Society (VINAFIS) and the European Union (EU) officially jointly launched a project to support sustainable shrimp production and value chain development in the Mekong Delta region.

The project is intended to benefit small and medium enterprises (SME) processors, shrimp producers and inhabitants in the area and to promote sustainable economic prosperity and poverty reduction in Vietnam, through improving social and environmental impacts of shrimp value chain development, SGGP reported.

The EUR 2.5 million project, funded by the EU under the SWITCH-Asia programme will allow, due to its participatory process, surrounding communities to discuss with shrimp value chain actors and hold them accountable for negative impact management.

In reference to the project, Alejandro Montalban, Minister Counselor of the Delegation of the EU to Vietnam, commented SME shrimp processors and producers will be able to access adequate finances, including advocating favourable government credit policies, and empowering them to have a stronger voice in negotiations with other actors in the value chain, News Vietnam.Net informed.

The project promoters highlight that shrimp production contributes to improve people’s lives in the Mekong delta and that shrimp export turnover decreased drastically last year, just reaching USD 29 billion, a reduction of 25 per cent compared to 2014.

In addition, they forecast that even though exports will grow this year thanks to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the free trade agreement (FTA), price reduction and harsh competitiveness will affect shrimp exports because demand of major markets will slump.

For his part, an Oxfarm representative explained that the project will improve effects of environmental and social problems during breeding and processing as well as help Vietnamese farmers comply with standards for Vietnamese and international sustainable production regulation.

Further benefits of the project have also been stressed, such as the possibility of facilitating a win-win collaboration among value chain stakeholders and empower the small scale farmers to engage effectively in the value chain for added benefit.

“Sustainable production practices and the successful collaborative models of shrimp value chain actors are expected to be documented for national level institutionalisation and be disseminated for nation-wide replication in Vietnam at the completion of the project,” said Oxfam deputy country director in Vietnam Nguyen Thi Le Hoa.

The SWITCH Asia Programme started in 2007 is one of the European Commission actions to promote the green economy in Asia.

The programme aims to identify and scale up successful Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) practices in Asia in order to induce a systematic change in consumption and production patterns and behaviour.

Related article:

- Seafood producers and exporters hope to benefit from TPP

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