Production of bamboo and rattan products for exports at a company in Chuong My district, Hanoi (Photo: VNA) Nghe An (VNA) – Some 4.3 million EUR (5 millionUSD) will be funded by the European Commission’s Directorate-General forInternational Cooperation and Development (EuropeAid) for the project“Inclusive and sustainable clam and bamboo value chains development in Vietnam.”
The project aims to contribute to reducing poverty andinequality in rural areas of Vietnam through inclusive and sustainable valuechain development.
It will support small-scale producers and micro, smalland medium enterprise (MSME) processors of clam value chain in the Mekong Deltaprovinces of Ben Tre, Tra Vinh and Tien Giang, and bamboo chain in centralThanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces to increase income from sustainable productionand business practices from 2018 – 2022.
It looks to provide technical support for leading clamand bamboo producers to have sustainably standardized production which is vitalfor them to get access to foreign markets like the EU.
The project is expected to benefit about 150 cooperativeswith 35,000 members and 60 MSME processors in these five provinces.
Public-private alliances, which comprise of localgovernments, public service providers, financial institutions, industry leadersand other stakeholders, will be set up at the five provinces to promoteimproved policy environment for the value chains of clam and bamboo.
They are tasked to foster the enforcement of industrydevelopment policies and the enhancement of trade promotion activities andaccess to markets and loans. They are also responsible for monitoring andtaking actions to inclusively and sustainably develop the value chains.
On May 25, the project’s “bamboo” component was launched ata workshop held by the European Union (EU), Oxfam in Vietnam, Non-Timber ForestProducts Research Centre (NTFPRC), the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry(VCCI) in Nghe An.
Markets like the EU, Japan and the US have strictregulations on imports of rattan and bamboo-made products, including thoseregarding environmental protection, said Pham Van Chat from the VCCI, addingthat these countries set tight control on the products’ source of origin andpossible pest infestation.
To increase added values and competitiveness of bambooproducts, Vietnamese producers must strictly comply with standards towardssustainability in the value chain of these products, said NTFPRC Director PhanVan Thang.
In this way, more opportunities will be opened forVietnamese farmers and processors in foreign markets, especially one withstrict rules and regulations. They will not only earn higher incomes but alsohelp develop more sustainable material areas, he noted.
Vietnam exported about 250 million USD worth ofbamboo-made products annually while the annual export turnover of clam wasestimated at 200 million USD.-VNA
VNA
