Fish Farmers Get Capital Equipment Boost

Ung Kimly (L) received $10,000 from the CAST project to build an additional hatchery that will cost more than $30,000. Photo: Thun Senghong

PHNOM PENH— Cambodian farmers raising fish have been awarded subsidies of about 40 percent from World Vision Cambodia to buy aquaculture equipment.



The NGO's Commercialization of Aquaculture for Sustainable Trade (CAST) project's grant fund is designed to support small and medium aquaculture enterprises get access to benefits and boost their productivity and distribution capabilities. 



Twenty-five out of 73 small and medium-sized enterprises in the aquaculture sector won a business plan competition to receive a co-investment package from the CAST's funds project.



Speaking at a grant handover ceremony on Sept. 13, CAST technical director Adolfo Ruiz said lack of capital was an obstacle to development of the sector.



The project identifies obstacles in the aquaculture market that need to be addressed to increase productivity at the SME level and food security in Cambodia.



“CAST funds account for 40 percent of the total cost of purchasing supporting materials or means that will drive business improvement,” Ruis said.



“The CAST project provides technical support in the procurement process, benefiting participants and the entire aquaculture marketing system.”



Ung Kimly, who owns a Battambang province fish farm, received $10,000 from the CAST project to build an additional hatchery that will cost more than $30,000.



“Due to the current growing demand for juvenile fish, I decided to apply for a business plan to get some funding from the CAST project to expand the hatchery,” he said.



The CAST project has received more than $17 million in funding from the US Department of Agriculture for the growth and development of freshwater fish aquaculture in Cambodia.



The project is being implemented by the American Soybean Association and World Vision Cambodia for five years from 2019 in six target provinces: Kandal, Siem Reap, Pursat, Battambang, Kampong Thom and Kampong Cham. 



Since 2019, CAST has worked with 849 enterprises with a total of 1,149 members in the aquaculture sector, including feed distributors, hatcheries, fish farms, wholesalers and resellers.



Of these, 149 enterprises with 190 members benefited from business development training that contributed to improving their business as well as the local aquaculture market.



 



Originally written in Khmer for ThmeyThmey, this story was translated by Sam Sopich for Cambodianess.


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