JICA is contributing more than US$4.66 million to the project and the remaining amount comes from Vietnam.

The three-year project lasting from 2011 to 2014, aims to improve staff capacity for inspecting and controlling the safety of agricultural and seafood products, ensuring the health of local consumers and strengthening the competitiveness of the agriculture and seafood sectors.

MARD says the project will train staff specialising in analyzing and inspecting food safety and improve management in laboratories under the TOT (training of trainers) model, which will ultimately raise the quality of Vietnamese agricultural and seafood products.

The National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (NAFIQAD) will also receive additional equipment for training activities supported by Japanese experts. 

The project will help implement and amend Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and develop a national supervision programme for agriculture and seafood food safety.