500 billion VND to develop Nghe An's fisheries

Recently, a World Bank (WB) delegation held a working session with the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee to discuss preparation work, thereby accelerating the approval process for the Sustainable Fisheries Development project in this province.

It is known that the above project belongs to Group B, funded by the World Bank with a total investment of about 500 billion VND, equivalent to 19.94 million USD. The objective is to build, upgrade and expand the infrastructure of fishing ports, anchorages and storm shelters in a synchronized and modern direction. This aims to develop offshore fishing, gradually improve product value and quality and simultaneously reduce unnecessary post-harvest losses.

According to the plan, upon completion, the Sustainable Fisheries Development project in Nghe An province will meet the needs of about 2,000 fishing vessels with an average total seafood catch of 70,000 tons/year.

In addition, the project will build and perfect the infrastructure and processes for key concentrated brackish water shrimp farming in Nghe An province towards biosafety, disease limitation and sustainable environmental protection. It will also enhance management capacity and apply advanced technologies in seafood exploitation and commercial shrimp farming; meeting the water supply and drainage needs for shrimp farming areas with a water surface area of about 734 hectares, a total annual farming area of about 1,200 hectares and an average annual output of about 4,500 tons.

The project consists of 3 components: Component 1 will invest in building, upgrading, and expanding infrastructure for fisheries development; Component 2 will improve management capacity and apply advanced technologies in seafood exploitation and commercial shrimp farming; Component 3 is project management.

Investment activities for building and upgrading infrastructure under Component 1 will be implemented in the communes and wards of Tan Mai, Quynh Mai, Quynh Anh, Quynh Phu and Dien Chau. Non-structural investment activities serving seafood exploitation and commercial shrimp farming under Component 2 will be carried out at specialized fisheries management units within the province, fishing ports and aquaculture areas receiving infrastructure investments within the project's scope.

According to the roadmap, the project will complete the appraisal and approval of the Investment Policy Proposal Report in May 2026; complete the formulation, appraisal and approval of the Feasibility Study Report before December 31, 2026; complete the formulation, appraisal and approval of the on-lending plan before March 30, 2027; and complete negotiations and sign the loan agreement with the WB before June 30, 2027.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Christophe Crepin, Head of the Delegation and Director of the Environment Department for East Asia and the Pacific, affirmed that the Sustainable Fisheries Development project has been implemented in many localities. Based on practical results, Mr. Christophe Crepin requested the delegation members to coordinate closely with the departments and agencies of Nghe An province, thereby soon completing the dossier to implement the project effectively.

Representing the local government, Mr. Nguyen Van De, Vice Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee, affirmed that the World Bank has been investing in numerous projects within the province, fundamentally yielding many remarkable results. With a large geographic area, Nghe An inherently possesses immense potential and advantages to develop the fisheries sector. It is expected that the upcoming project will comprehensively elevate this field.