Ca Mau (VNA) – Authorities of the southernmost province of Ca Mau held a working session with a World Bank (WB) mission on October 6 to review the progress of a sustainable fisheries development project funded by a loan from the lender.
The provincial People's Committee approved the project on August 4, 2025, with a total investment of about 536 billion VND (23.1 million USD), including more than 390 billion VND in World Bank loans. Scheduled to run from 2026 to 2029, the project aims to develop the local fisheries sector and deepen global integration, while adapting to climate change and protecting the environment through infrastructure upgrades, technological innovation, and better management and production capacity.
The provincial Construction Management Board, the project owner, said the funds will go toward flood-prevention embankments combined with rural roads. They will also support improvements in production techniques and disease and environmental control, and develop value-chain links and branding to lift productivity in three aquaculture areas covering the communes of Tan Thuan, Ta An Khuong, Cai Nuoc, Phu Tan and Phu My.
The project will upgrade infrastructure to accommodate the berthing needs of fishing vessels and bring in environmental protection measures at Rach Goc fishing port in Phan Ngoc Hien commune. It will also supply equipment to tackle illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, manage marine protected areas, and protect aquatic resources in the province.
The board has completed its preparations so bidding can start and construction sites can be handed to contractors as soon as the loan agreement is signed, its Deputy Director Pham Ut Nhanh said.
After the working session, the WB mission will carry out a field survey to help Ca Mau gauge its readiness to launch the project, said WB Senior Environmental Specialist and Task Team Leader Stephen Ling. The survey will focus in particular on the conditions needed to allow loan disbursement immediately after the agreement takes effect. The two sides will continue finalising project documents, running bidding procedures and completing the remaining steps needed to approve the loan agreement.
Ling said the WB's focus extends beyond infrastructure to agriculture, fisheries value chains and local livelihoods. The bank will also provide technical assistance and help the province find donors and other funding sources.
Le Van Su, Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee, stressed the need to gradually reorganise production, encourage farmers to join cooperatives and push links among households to create larger farming areas with unified production processes, infrastructure and management.
The project is expected to make infrastructure spending more efficient, strengthen management capacity and raise the value of Ca Mau's fisheries products, he said./.
