12 December, 2024
The project for the development of certifications of origin and sustainability for fishery and aquaculture products aims to assess the opportunities for the development of certification and labelling of origin and sustainability of the most relevant fishery and aquaculture products in Cape Verde, with the objective of improving their visibility and encouraging the consumption of local fishery and aquaculture products, particularly by tourists.
This is a project for the Large Projects Management Unit of the Ministry of Finance, financed by the World Bank through a loan that seeks to strengthen the blue economy in Cape Verde.
The general objectives are:
• Identification of fisheries and aquaculture production with the greatest potential for developing a system of certification and labelling of origin and sustainability.
• The development of a system of certification and labelling of origin and sustainability for selected fisheries and fishery products with the participation of sectoral stakeholders.
• The feasibility study of the practicality and viability of the proposed certification and labelling system.
• The development of an action plan for the implementation of the proposed certification and labelling system for the selected fishery and aquaculture products.
To meet these goals, Incatema will propose the priority fisheries and products with the greatest potential to obtain the certification of origin and sustainability. As a result of the fisheries and products identified as eligible for certification, it will provide guidelines for the achievement of medium to long-term certifications for the chosen products, and will train the fishermen to ensure knowledge transfer.
Previously, it will gather information from fishing communities and fish farmers and analyse information from secondary sources on fishery yields, socioeconomic characterisation and requirements of the main international certification labels.
According to Mr Alejandro Tiana Mas, project manager, this project represents a step forward in the characterisation of the operators and social agents of the blue economy in Cape Verde, a country that depends on it for its growth to a greater extent than other countries, and the search for those measures that increase the added value of fishery and aquaculture products in a sustainable manner through better traceability of farming and capture practices under parameters of environmental and socioeconomic sustainability.