The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors June 27 approved US$45 million in additional financing for an ongoing project to boost livestock production and improve food safety in Vietnam.
Vo Thanh Son, the World Bank Senior Rural Development Specialist and team leader for the project, said that the amount will help expanding good animal husbandry practices to farmers in other areas of the 12 project provinces which the project is being carried out.
The Livestock Competitiveness and Food Safety Project is working to increase the production efficiency of household-based livestock producers; reduce the environmental impact of livestock production, processing and marketing; and improve food safety in livestock product supply chains.
The adoption of good animal husbandry practices has helped improve livestock production and incomes for households by reducing mortality rates for pigs and poultry to raise farm output and income. It has also helped reduce fattening time for pigs and poultry and expand the size of herds and flocks to lower the costs of animal feeding, raise output and increase returns.
The project has also contributed to food safety by helping 124 small slaughterhouses improve meat safety through inspections and testing for bacteria. In addition, it assisted 23 medium and large slaughterhouses in upgrading meat handling and selling facilities and practices to satisfy national food safety standards.
The project has so far supported the upgrading of over 300 meat markets to meet sanitation and food safety standards, contributing to overall food safety out of the food value chains.
The original project was approved on September 22, 2009 with the total IDA amount of USD 65.26 million and US$13.77 million of counter-part fund from the Government of Vietnam.
