Multi-stakeholder cooperation, sustainable development of seafood supply chain in the Mekong Delta region

The Mekong Delta plays the role of the seafood capital of Vietnam, providing more than 70% of the country's aquaculture output and over 60% of the country's export turnover. However, to maintain this position, the seafood supply chain is facing many challenges, and the links between actors in the chain are still loose. According to experts, building a multi-stakeholder cooperation model to build a sustainable seafood value chain is an urgent requirement.

Identify the challenges

In recent years, the seafood supply chain of the Mekong Delta has been gradually improved, meeting the strict requirements of demanding markets. According to the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry, Mekong Delta Branch (VCCI), the bright spot of the Vietnamese seafood industry is that leading enterprises always fully comply with the requirements of the export market. Enterprises have participated in the market for many years and brought products to about 160 countries and territories around the world .

Shrimp farming model in Ca Mau province.

According to Ms. Vo Thi Thu Huong, Deputy Director of VCCI Mekong Delta, besides the bright spots, the seafood supply chain of the Mekong Delta region still faces many challenges. Seafood enterprises now master most of all stages in production, processing, aquaculture, deep processing, and by-product treatment. Many enterprises have expanded multi-sector investments such as feed processing, fertilizer production, etc. to diversify investments to minimize risks. However, small and medium-sized enterprises still face many difficulties in the transformation process to improve quality and ensure environmental issues. Regarding cooperation according to the "four-house" linkage model, the State has created conditions such as investment capital incentives for the seafood industry, especially projects that apply science and technology in the investment process are exempted from land tax, import tax on machinery and equipment, etc. In reality, many enterprises still face difficulties in accessing land resources. There are very good policies but the progress of access is still relatively slow.

Dr. Hoang Vu Quang, Deputy Director of the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Agriculture and Environment, the general policy of the State for many years now and the orientation for the coming time is to promote linkages along the value chain, reorganize agricultural production, including the seafood industry. The State has issued many policies to encourage linkages along the value chain and implemented them over many years. However, the scale of linkages along the value chain is still low and not really sustainable. The linkage models are quite diverse, but the total linkage area is small, the linkage scale of each enterprise and each cooperative is still low... The credit mechanism along the value chain for enterprises and key cooperatives is not really effective. Supporting cooperatives to build and complete infrastructure to serve linkages as per existing policies, but implementation is still slow and not synchronous.

Win-win

Minh Phu Certified Shrimp Social Company Limited, a member of Minh Phu Group, was established to cooperate with partners and farmers to build certified shrimp farming areas to meet the needs of the export market. The company is cooperating to build rice-shrimp and forest shrimp farming areas of about 1,732 ponds with an area of ​​3,450 hectares and has achieved certifications such as EU ORGANIC, CANADA MANGROVE, SFW, SELVA, ASC, BAP...

According to Mr. Lam Thai Xuyen, Director of Minh Phu Certified Shrimp Social Company Limited, linkage in the industry value chain is a multi-party cooperation process, to achieve multiple certifications and sell to multiple markets. Accordingly, the company arranges experts to support farmers in implementing the extensive shrimp farming model. It is necessary to gather small households into groups and cooperatives, and for long-term cooperation, the participation of cooperatives is needed. For the model to achieve international certifications, information must be transparent, and all parties and the company must work together to resolve all difficulties. The model requires the participation of local authorities and specialized agencies, domestic and international organizations, institutes, schools, scientists, experts, cooperatives and shrimp farmers. Promoting public-private-community cooperation between local authorities, local communities, businesses and other relevant partners to ensure coordination among stakeholders in designing and implementing the model, sharing responsibility and ownership, and contributing to sustainable model replication.

According to Ms. Vo Thi Thu Huong, in the coming time, the State needs to pay attention to investment in aquaculture infrastructure, promoting the role of science and technology application according to Resolution 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo. Projects applying high technology are considered for interest rate support compared to projects without science and technology application. In addition, paying attention to investment in human resources is a fundamental issue for the Vietnamese aquaculture industry, helping businesses to be more proactive in all stages. At the same time, businesses need to strengthen risk management, change management and investment diversification to bring better profits to businesses, contributing to stabilizing the economic and social life of the people.

According to Dr. Hoang Vu Quang, to link the agricultural value chain sustainably, it is necessary to prioritize support for linkages serving large-scale exports and production of high value-added products. In particular, enterprises play a decisive role in value chain linkages, support policies must create motivation and encourage enterprises to promote linkages. At the same time, cooperatives play an important role as a bridge between enterprises and farmers. It is necessary to prioritize supporting cooperatives to participate in close linkages and share roles with enterprises. Regarding policies, it is necessary to promote public-private partnership mechanisms in building large raw material areas associated with value chain linkages. Production linkage activities must ensure specific quality standards (GAP). It is important that enterprises have financial potential, stable markets, cooperatives have good capacity, have the attention of local authorities, and farmers have experience in production according to standards. The linkage contract must be complete and clear, with a risk-sharing mechanism, and external advice and support to ensure the interests of related parties.

Article and photos: MINH HUYEN

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/hop-tac-da-ben-phat-trien-ben-vung-chuoi-cung-ung-thuy-san-vung-dbscl-a193807.html