Social responsibility and product quality are vital to increase thecompetitiveness of Vietnam’s fisheries sector, said an official at aworkshop in Hanoi on July 15.

Nguyen Viet Manh,Head of the Vietnam Directorate General of Fisheries’ Scientific,Technological and International Cooperation Department, said socialresponsibility will not only benefit the sector but also ensuresustainable development and help protect the environment.

Today, foreign consumers require numerous certified standards ofsocial responsibility on Vietnamese aquatic products such as SA8000,BSCI, COSTCO, SMETA, METRO and WALMART.

Yet the standards are pursued by only about 30 percent of processing factories and 10 percent of farming households.

In the context of globalization and international integration,businesses that do not exercise social responsibility cannot approachforeign markets, Manh said.

The workshop wasorganised by the International Collaborating Centre for Aquaculture andFisheries Sustainability (ICAFIS), the Vietnam Fisheries Association andOxfam Vietnam.

With the support of OxfamVietnam, ICAFIS carried out research on practising social responsibilityof fishing in Hai Phong city, Nghe An, Kien Giang, Ben Tre, Khanh Hoaand Binh Thuan provinces.

Results show thatsocial responsibility has yet to be incorporated into the fishingprocess, leading to a loss in fish catches.

Assuch, ICAFIS is working on a draft code of principles on practisingsocial responsibility in Vietnam, according to ICAFIS Director Le ThanhLuu.-VNA