Vietnam is the world’s third largest fish exporter, with an aquaculture sector employing roughly 670,000 people, making it a key ingredient in Vietnam’s rapid economic growth.
However, it’s not without its challenges, as there is a growing body of international regulation, as exemplified by a recent agreement between the Vietnamese government and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) which stipulates that 50% of all pangasius farms will have to comply with international standards by 2015.
These are requirements the Vietnamese sector will not be able to meet unless it receives a long waited upgrading of equipment, processes and know-how.
In order to help the sector meet these challenges, five leading Danish aquaculture technology companies have joined forces and developed the idea of a Danish Aquaculture Technology Excellence Centre (VIDATEC), which aims to become a Danish-Vietnamese platform for advancing new aquaculture technology, practices and training, with a focus on increasing the quality of Vietnamese seafood production.
The project is innovative due to the novel idea of developing a joint platform between Danish and Vietnamese partners, with the aim of furthering the capacity of the Vietnamese aquaculture sector. Moreover, in line with a larger trend within the Danish business community, as well as the ambitions of the Danish Government and DANIDA, the project has a strong CSR focus and sector development approach.
As a first step on the way to achieving the goals of the project, a feasibility study will be conducted by leading Danish aquaculture companies and Vietnam Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), which will include an assessment of the expected spill-over effects for the local community, including thousands of fish farmers in the Mekong Delta area.
