A number of 17 local enterprises have received support under the EU-funded Value Chain Investment Support (VCIS) for enhancing safety fishery food production and export.
The award ceremony was held here on July 5 under the presidency of H.E. Veng Sakhon, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Country Representative Mr. Sok Narin and Director General of Fisheries Administration H.E. Pum Sotha.
The awarded enterprises were selected from more than 40 applications. It is a US$500,000 fund support designed for the first round of programme under UNIDO’s CAPFish-Capture initiative.
It is aimed to improve the technical capacity and sustainability of services and the official food safety inspection system of the competent authorities, develop the capacity of the private sector to comply with international standards and market needs, and strengthen the competitiveness of post-harvest fisheries business through innovation and product development research.
Speaking at the ceremony, the fund will support awarded enterprises on equipment, materials and techniques to support post-harvest fisheries production processes and compliance with food safety principles for both domestic market and export.
“I hope that these enterprises will contribute to improving Cambodia’s food safety system for export to international markets, including the EU market,” H.E. Veng Sakhon said.
“Our next major goal is to strengthen the capacity of the Fisheries Administration’s competent authorities, along with food safety system and regulatory equipment, to meet the export demand of fishery products to the EU, which we expect to achieve by the end of 2024,” he said.
Mr. Sok Narin of UNIDO said that these enterprises will receive additional training on food safety and compliance with the Cambodia Quality Seal (CQS) to prepare for the CQS certification audit by the end of 2022.
This certification can be a new face for qualified and safe Cambodian fishery products, he said.
“UNIDO fully supports the Royal Government and all stakeholders in bringing Cambodian fishery products to the European Union and the world market,” the UNIDO country representative said.
Source: Agency Kampuchea Press