It will allocate $74,000 to the Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP), through "EXPORT-DES", a programme of the Corporation for Exports and Investments Promotion (CORPEI), matching the $74,000 pledged by Ecuador’s National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA).
This funding will be used to increase the number small and middle-sized shrimp producers to participate in the initiative, which involves a group of the country’s leading aquaculture companies. SSP also hopes the funding will encourage the sustainable growth of the Ecuadorian shrimp industry, generating more jobs and encouraging the country to develop.
Members of SSP are committed to producing and promoting the highest quality shrimp, produced to the highest social and environmental standards, including zero use of antibiotics.
The Cooperation Agreement was signed last week by Eduardo Egas, Executive President of CORPEI, and José Antonio Camposano, CNA Executive President.
"The European Union, within the framework of the Free Trade Agreement with Ecuador, created the fund to boost the competitiveness of the national product, and increase the exportable supply to that destination. EU resources, which are managed by CORPEI, seek to invest in projects such as SSP that promote sustainable production," Egas observed.
Camposano explained that the EU market consistently demands the highest-quality products which can demonstrate responsible production practices; and while Ecuador has shown that it meets these requirements, sustainability requires a process of continuous improvement.
“Ecuador has always demonstrated its leadership in sustainability, but we must continue to evolve. Sustainability criteria are not static – they are always changing as circumstances change and as technology advances. What is sustainable today, will likely not be done tomorrow," he said.
“Via the SSP platform we are looking to the future, and recognising where we can evolve and how we can ensure we are continually providing a product to meet changing consumer demands. This investment fund will support us in getting more Ecuadorian production into the programme and increasing the supply of sustainable, traceable and antibiotic-free shrimp into the EU marketplace.”
