$370 000 FAO support to fisheries department

Bangkok (Food and Agriculture Organization) ©¤ The UN¡¯s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Thai ministry of agriculture and cooperatives today signed a project agreement dealing with certification for small-scale aquaculture.

Under an agreement signed with the Royal Thai Department of Fisheries today, the world food agency will offer its expertise to ensure the future competitiveness of small-scale aquaculture farmers in Thailand for international trade.

¡°The exceptional growth of the aquaculture sector in Thailand has seen a wide range of social, environmental, food safety and quality as well as animal health and welfare issues raised¡±, said Hiroyuki Konuma, FAO¡¯s deputy regional representative for Asia and the Pacific today after signing the agreement with Jaranthada Karnasuta, permanent secretary of the Thai ministry of agriculture and cooperatives.

¡°It is the expressed intention of the Thai government that aquaculture certification becomes an important aspect of improvement of the sector¡±, Mr Konuma added, explaining the need for technical assistance in the development of internationally credible aquaculture certification system in Thailand.

In addition, the project will strengthen the capacity of government and non-government agencies, including farmer organizations, for certification of aquaculture products in domestic and international markets.

The US$370 000 technical cooperation project ¨C TCP/THA/3202 ¨C will provide the services of international and national experts, training, equipment and support services. Dr Somying Piumsombun, director general of fisheries, signed the agreement on behalf of Thailand.

The aquaculture industry in Thailand plays a very important role in the overall economy of the country ¨C producing food for the domestic and export markets ¨C and generating significant foreign exchange earnings (estimated at above $6 billion).

Difficulties have been experienced, however, in meeting the very high quality and safety standards set by many importing countries.

The main food safety problems faced by the sector are the poor implementation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) by farmers and food producers; products with unacceptable levels of contamination; and products which do not conform with Codex Alimentarius standards concerning hygiene or hygienic practices.

ASEAN
The outcome of the project will be a model for other countries in ASEAN.

Thailand as the chair of the relevant ASEAN working group can assure wide dissemination throughout the region, and cooperation with regional organizations ¨C such as NACA and SEAFDEC will also be used to facilitate widespread sharing of experiences.

More information at:
http://www.fao.org/world/regional/rap/