Conference focuses on establishing seafood production chains

Creating effective seafood production chains was the main topic of a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on October 8.

The event was jointly organised by the US organisations Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) and Sustainable Fisheries Partnerships, and the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

Speaking at the conference, Jeff Sedacca from the US’ National Fish and Seafood (NFS) emphasised the need to pay more attention to developing small-scale farms since they produce a large proportion of total shrimp output.

(Photo for illustration. Source: VnExpress.net)

NFS has developed a chain model for sustainable shrimp breeding based on close linkages between farmers, processors, investors and distributors, he said, adding that the organisation has also devised a broader network, including many components of the supply chain.

Such a chain will pave the way for farmers to improve their livelihoods and increase incomes, he stated.

However, James Baros, the NFS coordinator for aquaculture certification, noted that it is hard for small farms to obtain certification as they often fail to meet international standards.

When cooperating with small producers, the NFS confirmed they would meet global standards and their products could be sold worldwide, he added.

According to VASEP Vice President Nguyen Huu Dung, Vietnam’s shrimp businesses must work closely with farmers to develop shrimp breeding areas whilst applying quality and disease management systems in an effort to meet international standards on food safety.

Once the NFS project is implemented in Vietnam, it will help local breeders to produce shrimp in a sustainable manner, he said.

Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development showed that the country earned 4.95 billion USD from seafood exports during the first eight months of this year, up by 25.4 percent compared to the same period in 2013.

Shrimp exports alone accounted for 2 billion USD during the first seven months of 2014.

VASEP estimates seafood exports will reach about 7 billion in 2014, up by 4.5 percent compare to last year.