Thailand's private sector, government cooperate on local aquaculture expansion
As part of an agreement with the Thai government, companies - like Thai Union and Charoen Pokphand Foods - will aid local farmers and the development of the aquaculture industry with their know-hows on cultivation, marketing and distribution.
Thailand's private sector will support the government's public-private collaboration policy in modernising the aquaculture industry.
This effort has been formalised by a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with national agencies, according to Thai Union. The collaboration aims to boost farmers' income, aquaculture capacity and quality, as well as initiating a start to help push grassroots economic development in Thailand.
Aquatic animal processing companies constituted the private sector involvement of the cooperation.
Firms will avail expertise on cultivation, marketing and distribution to shrimp and fish farmers who are the key benefactors, Thiraphong Chansiri, president and CEO of Thai Union Group PCL, and chairman of the Aquatic Animal Group (Modern Agricultural Development Working Group), said.
"The private sector is contributing to the development of the aquatic animal group and hopes to see an efficient and effective effort made by all concerned parties to help fish and shrimp farmers boost their production and profit," Chansiri added.
To be executed in two phases, the first part of the project entails technology transfer on hatchery and marketing promotion to be conducted until the end of 2016.
During the second phase, a breeding development center will be established, which would later become an aquaculture development hub. With this site, the value and competitiveness of Thai aquaculture will increase. To support the setup of the facility, the Department of Fisheries will help in location and budgeting.
The public sector will assist in forming cooperatives to raise efficiency in hatchery and production. It will also organise business matching between cooperatives and aquaculture companies.
The Aquatic Animal Working Group is made up of government agencies including Cooperative Promotion Department, Department of Fisheries, Fish Marketing Organization and the Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives of Thailand.
Private companies, that are part of the group, are Thai Union Group PCL, Thai Chamber of Commerce, Thai Frozen Foods Association, Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL and Wales & Co. Universe Limited.
Cooperatives that had signed the MoU are Chantha Buri Shrimp Farmers Cooperative; Shrimp Cooperative of Trat Limited; Sustainable Shrimp Cooperative of Trat; Pak Panang River Basin Shrimp Farmers Cooperative Limited, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province; Nakhon Pathom Shrimp Farmers Cooperative Limited; Ban Sang Agriculture Cooperative Limited, Prachin Buri Province; Nikom Ban Sang Pattana Cooperative Limited, Prachin Buri Province; Paedriew Agriculture Cooperative, Chachoengsao Province; Trang Aquaculture Cooperative; Kung Kraben Fisheries Cooperative, Chantha Buri province; Chon Buri Aqualculture Cooperative; and Phan Fisheries Cooperative, Chiang Rai province.