Vietnam News Agency-Aug 22
A project promoting sustainable fishery development via strengthening public-private partnership (PPP) in the Mekong Delta was launched in Ho Chi Minh City on August 22.
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 1.75 million USD. Of which, 300,000 USD will be sourced from the State sector, 830,000 USD from fishery firms, and the remaining from domestic and foreign organizations.
The export value of aquatic products was estimated at 732 million USD in June, bringing the figure for the first half of the year to 3.94 billion USD, up 10.5 percent annually, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The figure is estimated at 10 billion USD this year, up 20 percent year-on-year.
