DECISION

APPROVING THE SCHEME TO DEVELOP PRODUCTION AND SALE OF TRA CATFISH IN THE MEKONG RIVER DELTA UP TO 2020

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;
Pursuant to the November 26, 2003 Fisheries Law;
At the proposal of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (in Report No. 2841/TTr-BNN-NTTS of September 8, 2009, and Official Utter No. 3347/BC-BNN-NTTS of October 15, 2009),

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the Scheme to develop production and sale of tra catfish in the Mekong river delta with the following contents:

I. OBJECTIVES

1. General objectives

To promote the advantages and high competitiveness of tra catfish rearing in the Mekong river delta to develop it into an industry, striving to make tra catfish a staple export of the country; and concurrently create jobs and improve the living conditions of farmers and fishermen in the Mekong river delta, contributing to successfully implementing the Party Central Committee's Resolution on agriculture, farmers and rural areas in the new period.

2. Specific targets

- To develop Tra catfish production to reach by 2010 an output of 1.5 million tons of material fish, an export output of 600,000 tons and USD 1.5 billion in value and a domestic sale of 100,000 tons, and create 200,000 jobs;

- By 2015, to reach an output of 1.8 million tons of material fish, an export output of 750,000 tons and USD 2.2 billion in value and a domestic sale of 150,000 tons, and create 230,000 jobs;

- By 2020, to reach an output of 2 million tons of material fish, an export output of 900,000 tons and USD 3 billion in value and a domestic sale of 200,000 tons, and create 250,000 jobs;

II. MAJOR TASKS OF THE SCHEME

1. To reorganize production and sale

- To form high-yield rearing zones linked with processing establishments under local development plannings;

- To develop industrial and modern production in the forms of collective economy and farm economy;

- To form networks to collect, process and sell products closely associated with raw-material production zones.

2. To build and improve production infrastructure

- To build and improve irrigation systems for consolidated rearing zones under local plannings;

- To build a system to produce breeds from central to local and grassroots levels, which guarantees sufficient supply of quality and disease-free breeds at reasonable prices for rearers;

- To build and form networks of environmental observation and epidemic warning in localities with large rearing zones;

- To build in Mekong river delta provinces centers to test and experiment breeds, feeds and biological preparations.

- To increase the state management of and application of advanced technologies to breed production, commercial rearing, feed production and treatment of the rearing environment to raise product quality.

- To build a system of market statistics and forecast and raise trade promotion capacity.

III. MAJOR SOLUTIONS

1. Planning management

- To develop Tra catfish rearing mainly in areas along Tien and Hau rivers on a maximum area of 11,000 ha by 2015 and 13,000 ha by 2020;

In 2009. the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall coordinate with localities in reviewing, adjusting and supplementing the planning on production and sale of tra catfish for Mekong river delta provinces.

- New establishments rearing Tra catfish on 10 ha or more must be located in planned production zones and have infrastructure facilities meeting industrial production requirements. To examine and rearrange existing establishments in conformity with planning to meet environmental sanitation and epidemic safety requirements;

- To form and develop Tra catfish processing establishments in rearing zones under planning or in local fisheries centers, ensuring the com­bination of production with processing and sale.

2. Production reorganization

- To reorganize production towards closely combining and harmonizing the interests of rearing, procurement, processing and export stages. To reorganize tra catfish rearing households under the community-based management model (tra catfish rearing household groups and association) and develop the organization of collective production such as cooperatives and cooperation groups;

- To arrange and reorganize processing and sale establishments linked with raw-material production zones; to adopt the principle that processing mills must have raw-material zones, and sign and perform raw material procurement contracts with rearers to ensure stable supply;

- In production zones, to develop establishments to collect and sell products for rearers, and agents to supply feeds, veterinary drugs and other products for fish rearing, ensuring product and service quality and reasonable prices and increasing their consideration for benefits of rearers;

- To promote the role of societies and associations in protecting lawful rights and interests of their members and connecting their members with organizations and state manage­ment agencies in production and sale stages.

3. Breed and feed production and tra catfish processing and export

- By 2015, to complete the replacement of all tra catfish breeds in the Mekong river delta, ensuring quality and disease-free breeds;

- Establishments producing and trading in feeds, veterinary drugs and environmental improvement products for tra catfish rearing shall announce product quality and label their products to enable quality control of products for aquaculture;

- Processing establishments shall announce product quality and take responsibility before law for their announcement to enable control of their production process; to conduct quarantine and quality inspection of and grant certificates to all tra catfish products for export and domestic sale;

- The steering committee for production and sale of tra catfish in the Mekong river delta shall direct and manage the production and export of tra catfish, ensuring stable development, and concurrently increase trade promotion and brand advertising to expand export markets;

- To increase the leading role of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors in concentrating and unifying the connection between its members, creating competitiveness and preserving the prestige of Vietnamese seafood on the world market while ensuring the interests of enterprises and the Association.

4. State management enhancement

- The steering committee for production and sale of tra catfish in the Mekong river delta shall continue with its tasks of directing, managing and proactively settling problems arising from the production and sale of tra catfish in the Mekong river delta;

For the immediate time, to consolidate and strengthen the organizational apparatus and increase the capacity of specialized units of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and in localities to meet requirements of their tasks;

- To elaborate and improve the system of legal documents, standards and regulations to ensure effective state management of seafood production, production services and export, the environment and planning;

To continue reviewing, amending, supplementing and annulling regulations and troublesome administrative procedures for enterprises and producers; to continue decentralizing the management of breeds, fees, aquatic veterinary drugs and biological and environmental treatment preparations to localities; to speed up the socialization of public services in some domains with sufficient conditions.

- To build statistical and forecast systems for production and sale and environmental observation and epidemic warning networks; to assign numbers to rearing zones to track down product origins for facilitating the direction and management of tra catfish production and sale;

- To increasingly examine and control production and business establishments in complying with the law on examination and certification of production and business conditions to ensure food hygiene and safety and environmental protection.

5. Mechanisms and policies

a/ Investment mechanisms

- To study mechanisms and policies to encourage farmer and fishermen households to establish collective economic organizations for aquaculture: to support organizations and individuals in applying advanced technologies to production and environmental protection and aquatic resource protection; to build up brands and promote trade; to assist in alleviating aquaculture risks; to support interests for loans taken by establishments to process and procure surplus amounts of tra catfish;

- To continue implementing promulgated mechanisms and policies on investment and credit to support breed and feed production, rearing, environmental and epidemic control and export processing.

b/ Credit

To continue implementing credit incentives under Decree No. 151/2006/ND-CPon investment credit and export credit, and Decree No. 106/2008/ND-CP amending and supplementing Decree No. 151/2006/ND-CP; to study and adopt lending policies to ensure sufficient funds for tra catfish production and trading enterprises to invest in rearing ponds, commercial freezing warehouses and equipment for processing added value goods (processed, packed, used after heating and instant food).

6. Funds for the Scheme implementation

Funds to implement the Scheme shall be contributed from the state budget and by enterprises, households and individuals.

In which:

a/ The central budget shall support the performance of the following tasks:

+ Building grade-I irrigation systems (water supply and drainage), supplying electricity for production; building environmental treatment works for large-scale and concentrated rearing zones and breed production zones;

+ Conducting scientific research and importing technologies for breed production, original breed preservation, fish disease treatment, environmentally friendly rearing and rearing environment treatment;

+ Building rearing environment observation and warning networks and a testing, experimentation and inspection center under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development based in the Mekong river delta.

b/ Local budgets shall be used to build grade-II irrigation systems (water supply and drainage); upgrade 4 regional-level centers for producing quality and disease-free tra catfish breeds in An Giang, Dong Thap and Ben Tre provinces and Can Tho city; build laboratories to experiment and test feeds, biological preparations and quality products and inspect the quality of tra catfish breeds in localities; and pay ground clearance compensations in planned production zones;

c/ Funds of economic sectors

- Enterprises and farm owners shall build infrastructure works for rearing zones and breed production establishments under approved projects; build or upgrade processing establishments into industrial and modern ones; and promote brands and trade;

- Individuals and households shall build rearing ponds and systems to supply and discharge water from grade-II water supply and drainage canals; and buy breeds, feeds, drugs and chemicals for epidemic control and rearing environment treatment.

7. Total fund for the Scheme implementation

a/ The total fund to implement the Scheme up to 2020 is VND 1,340 billion;

b/ Investment phases

- 2009-2015: VND 800 billion;

- 2016-2020: VND 540 billion.

IV. ORGANIZATION OF IMPLEMENTATION

1. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall:

- Direct functional agencies and the steering committee for production and sale of tra catfish in the Mekong river delta in coordinating with concerned localities in performing the tasks of the Scheme.

- Promulgate and guide regulations on inspec­tion and management of tra catfish rearing, pro­ducing and processing establishments; review and supplement the planning to develop production and sale of tra catfish in the Mekong river delta;

- Elaborate and promulgate regulations on, and increase inspection and handling of, the quality of breeds, feeds and products, environmental management, food hygiene and safety and aquatic animal health;

- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors in, adopting specific measures to control export quality and prices.

2. The Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance shall balance and allocate sufficient funds for localities to perform their tasks; study, amend, supplement and guide financial mechanisms for effective implementation; and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in studying and supplementing the list of items entitled to the state investment credit interest mechanism under Decree No. 151/2006/ND-CP and Decree No. 106/2008/ND-CP.

3. The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall assume the prime responsibility for. and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors in, improving the work on tra catfish export markets, renewing and promoting trade; promptly handling problems and trade barriers in tra catfish importing markets to maintain traditional markets and expand new ones; and concurrently adopting specific plans and measures to develop the domestic market.

4. The State Bank of Vietnam shall continue studying and settling difficulties and problems related to borrowing conditions and disbursement procedures for tra catfish rearers, processors and sellers and breed producers in the Mekong river delta; and direct commercial banks in guiding and facilitating economic sectors in accessing loans to develop tra catfish production and sale in the Mekong river delta.

5. The People's Committees of Mekong river delta provinces and cities shall coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in reviewing, adjusting and supplementing their local plannings on tra catfish rearing and processing in line with the regional planning; balance their local budgets to allocate a proper portion together with central budget funds to implement the Scheme; direct the elaboration of specific projects for submission and approval under regulations; increase state management measures, particularly on control of breed, feed, environment and product quality and production and business conditions; and annually review and report on implementation results to the steering committee and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

6. Societies and professional associations

- To promptly establish the Association of tra catfish rearers in the Mekong river delta to protect the lawful rights and interests of rearers, reorganize their production and increase the relations between rearers and banks, science and technology transfer institutions and processors and traders;

- The Vietnam Fisheries Association and the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors shall coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in adopting measures to encourage and support the development of their members and increasing tight control of product quality, particularly export quality; and boost trade promotion and stabilize and expand markets. The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors shall participate in the adoption of market development strategies; and regularly provide information on regional and world markets for enterprises and rearers for proactive production and export.

Article 2. Implementation provisions

This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing.

Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies and chairpersons of the People's Committees of Mekong river delta provinces and centrally run cities shall implement this Decision.