Supporting pangasius farmers to achieve sustainability

The world’s appetite for Vietnamese pangasius fish is booming.  In the last 20 years Vietnamese production and export of pangasius has grown over 50 fold. In fact, Vietnamese production of pangasius has developed at a rate unmatched by any other food crop in the world. 

This explosion in growth coupled with increasing consumer sensitivities to environmental, social and food safety issues has placed Vietnamese pangasius under international scrutiny. 

The ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) has formulated rigorous standards for sustainable pangasius farming and its ASC Certification provides an internationally recognised standard that confirms for consumers the environmental and social sustainability as well as the food safety of Vietnamese pangasius.  But the certification process requires significant upfront investment by the farmers. Farmers require technical support to help them identify areas for improvement; and they need financial support to help pay for the services required to to attain ASC Certification. 

The ASC Accelerator fund, managed by SNV and co-funded by IDH and key European importers,  is a mechanism that addresses these constraints by  providing matching funds to  farmers to help  pay for consultants, trainers and other technical service providers that can help speed them along the path to certification. The ASC Accelerator has  €1.4  million available to co-fund 50% of the fees for services that producers must pay to become ASC Certified.

Read more about SNV 's work in Vietnam here

Photo: thuysanvietnam.com.vn