As part of its efforts to increase awareness on emerging local and international market requirements related to quality and safety of seabob products, from harvesting through to preparation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), conducted a two-day “Training of Trainers” workshop for workers in the seabob sector.
This was stated in a release by the FAO which noted that seabob (Xiphopenaeus kroyeri), a shrimp species harvested from the Atlantic Ocean, is one of Guyana’s key exports, with the country being one of the world’s leading exporters.
According to the FAO release, this is the first in a series of planned trainings in this crucial area with the first cohort and comprised some 15 participants from the Fisheries Department, Ministry of Agriculture, and Pritipaul Singh Investment (PSI), a leading private sector processing firm.
Key focus areas of the workshop included a deeper understanding of food safety principles, hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP), the importance of food safety standards for enhancing market access, as well as strategies to further reduce waste and minimize public health risks.
FAO Representative, Dr Gillian Smith, noted that this mix of public and private sector participants is important to ensure that stakeholders across the value chain have the right information to increase the opportunities for reaching new and demanding markets. Further, participation in the workshop also marks a step toward a long-term commitment to improving food handling and safety in seabob production.
Meanwhile, trainers from CRFM disclosed that before the end of this year, more training will be offered to other industry stakeholders and to interested vendors and fishers. The FISH4ACP project will also assist stakeholders in developing and implementing a comprehensive Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Strategy for the seabob value chain. This will help to drive a strategy to enhance safety across the industry, further reducing the risk of injury and illness to workers and fisherfolk along the seabob value chain.
These initiatives are part of the FISH4ACP Programme which is implemented by FAO and the seabob industry, with funding from the European Union (EU), the release added.
FISH4ACP is a five-year €40 million programme led by the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) that aims to tackle some of the underlying challenges to sustainable fisheries and aquaculture.
