Oxfam Vietnam, in cooperation with the International Collaborating Center for Aquaculture and Fisheries Sustainability, launched an E.U.-funded project themed “Sustainable and equitable shrimp production and value chain development” today.
The project will be carried out in the Mekong Delta provinces of Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau for four years, benefiting more than 85,000 local people.
Alejandro Montalban, Minister Counselor of the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam, said: “Beside the technical support, the project will help small and medium shrimp processors access adequate finance and empower them to have a stronger voice in negotiation with other actors in the value chains.”
Oxfam Vietnam estimates that shrimp production generates an income for more than 700,000 Vietnamese families. Shrimp products also accounted for 44 percent of the country’s total seafood exports last year.
Around 80 percent of Vietnam’s shrimp processors work on a small or medium scale without mutual cooperation, making it difficult for Vietnamese shrimp to compete with other products in the global market.