Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien received a delegation from the US Embassy in Vietnam to discuss the US–Vietnam Aquaculture Value Chain Partnership Project on January 13.
According to information shared during the meeting, the project has a total budget of over US$15.2 million and will be implemented over five years, aiming to increase tilapia production to 1.21 million tons, with an estimated total sales value of around US$1.25 billion. The project is scheduled to begin in March 2026, focusing initially on basic research, improving broodstock quality, and supporting hatcheries. From October 2026, technical assistance, training, capacity building, and financial support for farmers will be expanded.
The project will be implemented in the Red River Delta and Mekong Delta regions and is expected to benefit more than 24,000 stakeholders, including farming households, aquaculture farms, processing plants, regulatory agencies, and industry associations. A key initiative of the project is the use of high-quality imported soybeans as aquafeed, aimed at improving the productivity and quality of tilapia.
Assessing the project, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien described it as both “timely and well-targeted” and proposed exploring the expansion of striped and red tilapia farming in the Central and Southern regions to take advantage of geographical advantages.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has committed to coordinating the removal of related administrative procedures, aiming to complete them by May 2026, thereby facilitating effective project implementation and maximizing the export potential of Vietnamese tilapia.
