The five-year implementation of a sustainable clam and bamboo value chain development project has contributed to increasing Vietnam’s exports of clams and bamboo to the European Union (EU) by 38 per cent and 42 per cent, respectively, in 2022.

The EU-funded project has helped more than 34,000 people secure sustainable incomes from clams and bamboo, enabled 125 production groups to be better organized, helped 63 businesses improve their business situation, and created more than 4,000 new jobs, according to a seminar on March 23 in north-central Nghe An province to review the project.

With total funding of €4.3 million ($4.6 million), the project has been implemented in the five provinces of Tra Vinh, Ben Tre, Tien Giang, Thanh Hoa, and Nghe An by Oxfam Vietnam in cooperation with Vietnamese partners during the 2018-2023 period.

It has helped local producers and processors improve farming techniques in order to secure international certification such as MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) and ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) for clams, and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) for bamboo, enabling their products to enter large markets such as the US, the EU, and Japan.