FAO to help Myanmar's aquaculture industry

The Food and Agriculture has drafted a three-year funded programme to improve the long-term food security of 32,000 poor fishing and farming families in Myanmar.

The programme will help Myanmar to develop sustainable small-scale fisheries and aquaculture livelihoods in coastal mangrove ecosystems and improve rice production. Many of the beneficiaries are victims of last year's devastating cyclone Nargis that killed around 150 000 people.

Shin Imao, FAO's Representative in Myanmar said the 32,000 households will join over the total 112,000 households that FAO assisted between June 2008 and May 2009 as part of its US$17 million cyclone Nargis project.

Giuseppe Cinti, Italy's Ambassador in Myanmar, said Italy had already contributed US$8 million to Myanmar's recovery effort, with US$6 million going to FAO-implemented projects. He said the new programme "will be implemented, with the aim of giving the people of Myanmar the tools for their empowerment."

Under the three projects, small-scale farmers and fishers will be helped to improve production through the introduction of modern technology. In addition, new employment should be generated and incomes improved by increasing the availability of quality seeds and community-based water management and reviving ecosystems.

The agreement was signed at a ceremony in Yangon last weekend attended by Htay Oo, Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation of Myanmar and Giuseppe Cinti, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy in Myanmar.

The Minister commended FAO for its leadership in coordinating agriculture livelihood recovery activities of many partners in the post-Cyclone Nargis period, which contributed to the development of the transition programme funded by Italy.