Analysis of Organic Pangasius value chain in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Organic products remain a niche market in most countries and there is relatively little international trade in organic aquaculture products (Smith et al., 2005). The newly emergent organic products tend to exclude small-holders due to reasons of high certification costs, smaller volumes they produce, and tighter control of product quality. The paper looks at some of the opportunities that exist for small-holders to enter organic schemes and compete in the niche markets. Importantly, the constraints and risks that are involved will be debated. The ability of small farmers to organize and obtain the certification is questioned and the mechanisms to facilitate this will be discussed. The value chain concept, quality management, the theory of institutions and transaction cost economics, will be applied to analyze how the coordinated efforts of various stakeholders can be developed to achieve a better product quality and quality assurance.