HCM CITY — A public private partnership (PPP) cooperation agreement for sustainable aquaculture development in the Mekong Delta was signed on August 22 between Government fishery bodies, organisations and private groups.

The PPP agreement for implementation of the project “Support the sustainable development of Aquaculture in Việt Nam through public private partnerships” was signed by the Directorate General of Fisheries (D-Fish), Việt Nam Fisheries Society (VINAFIS), Việt Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) and IDH Sustainable Trade Initiative.

The PPP agreement was signed under the framework of VIETFISH exhibition which opened the same day in HCM City.

This is a typical example of a public-private partnership model aimed at mobilising resources from the Government and the private sector to address challenges for the sustainable development of the fisheries sector in Việt Nam.

Under PPP model, governments can help deliver needed fundamental services. PPP is also a way of lifting services by using the private sector’s innovation and expertise, and private finance. 

In this case, the Fisheries PPPs will facilitate fisheries production, trading and consumption, and contribute to environmental management in the long term.

Việt Nam is one of the world’s five leading exporters of brackish shrimp and the world’s leading producer and exporter of catfish (pangasius).

In Việt Nam, the Mekong Delta is the main production area, accounting for more than 80 per cent of shrimp production and 95 per cent of pangasius production.

However, brackish shrimp farming and pangasius farming in the Mekong Delta are facing a number of challenges, including disease management and failure to meet market requirements for traceability.

To address the challenges for the country’s two key fisheries sectors, PPP Fisheries, initiated by D-Fish and other members, including WWF Việt Nam, GIZ, IDH Sustainable Trade Initiative, VASEP, Việt Nam Institute for Fisheries Economics and Planning (VIFEP) and VINAFIS, agreed to develop and co-implement the project.

Dr. Flavio Corsin, IDH aquaculture programme director, speaks to the media at a signing ceremony. — VNS Photo Bồ Xuân Hiệp

The project has a total investment of US$1.75 million, of which the State sector contributes $300,000, the private sector $810,000, IDH $510,000, and other international organisations and non-governmental organisations, $110,000.

Phạm Anh Tuấn, vice director of D-Fish, said Việt Nam highly valued the role and contribution of civil society organisations, NGOs and enterprises to the sustainable development of the country’s fisheries and aquaculture sector.

The initiative creates a platform for the public and private sector to work together, and at the same time, reduces the overlap of the efforts and increases synergies among the parties, he said.

“The PPP cooperation agreement will support the development of the fisheries and aquaculture sector with responsibility to the future and meet requirements from important export markets,” he said.

Dr. Flavio Corsin, IDH aquaculture programme director, said the agreement acted as a foundation for many sustainability programmes in the fisheries sector of Việt Nam, and would provide synergy between the key players in the sector and position Việt Nam as an increasingly responsible producer of fisheries products.

The PPP partnership is open and welcome to other parties who want to join this agreement and contribute to the sustainable development of Việt Nam Fisheries. — VNS