International Collaborating Centre for Aquaculture

Nowadays aquaculture traceability is generally considered not only a requirement to access international markets but also a key dimension of sustainability. Despite the great effort being made worldwide, traceability remains a challenge especially when dealing with small-scale producers in the developing world. This is especially true for the Vietnamese shrimp industry which plays an important role in the country economy. Vietnam is the worldwide top producer and exporter of tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) with a total production of 331000 metric tons in 2010 (MARD), which accounts for about 50% of tiger shrimp produced worldwide.

Vietnam is also a key shrimp exporter. According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in 2010 Vietnam exported 240,935 metric tons of shrimp, worth over USD 2,1 billion and providing livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of small-scale farmers.

With so much at stake, it is not surprising that many initiatives are being implemented to assure the sustainability of the shrimp sector in Vietnam, including a project aimed at promoting compliance to the Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue (ShAD) standards which will become the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) standards for shrimp. The project, which is supported by Danida (Danish government) and is implemented by WWF Denmark and WWF Vietnam, has been working for the past 2 years with small-scale shrimp farmers in Ca Mau and Soc Trang provinces.

As part of the project activities and with the technical support of the International Collaborating Center for Aquaculture and Fishery Sustainability (ICAFIS), the sustainability centre under the Vietnam Fisheries Society (VINAFIS), a Workshop titled 'Sustainable Shrimp Farming: development of a traceability system for small-scale shrimp holders' was organized by the Ca Mau Province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) and WWF Vietnam on 8 June 2011 in Ca Mau City.

Participants included shrimp farmers from Soc Trang and Ca Mau provinces, representatives of processing plants and buyers, government officers, experts from Can Tho University, representatives of Bureau Veritas and staff from WWF Vietnam and ICAFIS. The main objective of the Workshop was to discuss and draft the key elements of a traceability system suitable for Vietnamese small-scale farmers.

Workshop participants discussed several issues concerning the Vietnamese shrimp industry, including the need to assure the quality of harvested shrimp throughout the value chain. "Maintaining high quality of shrimp would result in higher value for farmers and factories, as well as help provide a positive image among consumers in national and international markets" said Phạm Quốc Lâm from Butler Choice.

Within the current arrangement between small-scale shrimp producers and processing factories, brokers and middlemen play a key role: they are able to collect even small amount of shrimp from a multitude of small farmers and handing large amount of product ready to be processed. This is an important service, because in this way farmers have access to the market, whilst for processing plants it is easier and cheaper than sourcing directly from thousands of farmers. However, this system generally does not guarantee the quality of the shrimp, which is required to meet buyers' requirements. Cases of shrimp being injected with foreign material or immersed in chemicals to increase their weigh are not uncommon, causing concerns among producers and buyers alike. Consequently, the credibility of Vietnamese shrimp products is being damaged together with the industry's competitiveness.

The Workshop provided the participants with the latest information about shrimp production in Vietnam, and highlighted the importance of a traceability system, which could help to overcome these issues.

Farmers, especially the ones involved in the project as they follow Better Management Practices (BMP), acknowledged that being traceable would only have positive effects on their business and livelihood. The participants discussed a draft system and provided valuable inputs to make the system viable and effective.

The next steps were also discussed and include deeper discussion with farming communities and processors on the logistics involved in implementing the traceability system. "Developing a traceability system suitable for half a million farmers is not small thing" said Flavio Corsin of ICAFIS "but it can be done as this is good for our farmers, the buyers, the consumers and the image of the Vietnamese seafood sector".

For more information contact Tran Chinh Khuong (WWF) at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Flavio Corsin (ICAFIS) at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .