Under the project, signed in Hanoi on April 3 by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Tan Tam and FAO representative in Vietnam Andrew Speedy, Spain will provide nearly US$20 million to assist fishermen in regional countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, East Timor, and Vietnam.

In Vietnam, the project will be carried out in the central provinces of Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, and Quang Nam to improve the fishing capacity and living standards of people in coastal areas who live on small-scale fisheries.

Deputy Minister Tam said small-scale fisheries play an important role in south Asian and Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, in terms of economic and social development, as well as the cultural life of fishing communities in coastal areas.

However, these fishing communities currently face a slew of difficulties and risks because of diminishing coastal resources, natural disasters, capital shortages, and a lack of information on marine products, markets, and post-harvest production methods.

The project is expected to boost the development of small-scale fisheries, contribute to poverty reduction, and improve the living conditions of people in coastal areas, the Deputy Minister said.

Speedy agreed with the deputy minister, adding that an important goal of the project is to shift local people’s livelihoods from fishing to aquaculture, which will help protect marine resources, and ensure environmental protection and sustainable development.

According to FAO research, seafood plays an important source of protein for humans, and fish supply about 19 percent of protein in developing countries’ diets; this ratio is as high as 90 percent in coastal and island areas.

In Vietnam, fisheries are vital to economic development and to many rural people’s livelihoods.

Last year, Vietnam’s seafood exports earned US$4.5 billion, representing more than 0.7 percent of the country’s total export revenue.