The launch ceremony was co-hosted by the Directorate of Fisheries, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors, the Vietnam Fisheries Society, and the Netherlands’ Sustainable Trade Initiative.
Speaking at the event, deputy head of the Directorate of Fisheries Tran Dinh Luan said the project aims to improve shrimp and tra fish farming management in the region. He pledged to offer support for the project and spread the model in localities nationwide.
Pham Anh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fisheries Society, said Vietnam is one of the top five exporters of brackish water shrimp and the leading exporter and manufacturer of tra fish globally. The Mekong Delta accounts for 80 percent of shrimp output and 95 percent of tra fish production.
He said the project will strengthen the efficiency of epidemic management through the refinement of environmental monitoring systems that give epidemic alerts; improve shrimp and tra fish farming productivity via a supply chain; as well as assist shrimp and tra fish farming businesses in building and improving the system for tracing the origin of products.
It will be carried out from September 2018 to December 2020 at a total cost of US$1.75 million. Of which, US$300,000 will be sourced from the State sector, US$830,000 from fishery firms, and the remaining from domestic and foreign organisations.
The export value of aquatic products was estimated at US$732 million in June, bringing the figure for the first half of the year to US$3.94 billion, up 10.5% annually, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The figure is estimated at US$10 billion this year, up 20% year-on-year.
