REQUEST FOR APPLICATION
To promote fish based Ready-to-Eat (RTE) food products in the mainstream market channels with focus on export market
Background
WorldFish is an international nonprofit research institution that creates, advances, and translates scientific research on aquatic food systems into scalable solutions. WorldFish is a member of CGIAR, which unites international organisations engaged in research about food security.
The Feed the Future Bangladesh Aquaculture and Nutrition Activity (Aquaculture Activity) is a five-year project of USAID working to improve nutrition through growth in the aquaculture sector. The project works in 21 districts of southwestern Bangladesh and two districts in the southeast.
Fish is a high-protein, low-fat food that provides a range of health benefits. Fish are an important part of the diet. White-fleshed fish, in particular, is lower in fat than any other source of animal protein, and oily fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids or the "good" fats.
The frozen and processed food industry has seen significant growth-- about 20% per year-- and is expected to grow in the coming years. The urban population is increasing and middle-class incomes and purchase power are rising. Family life is changing more working mothers leading to time-pressed homemakers.
This lifestyle change is creating demand for Ready-to-Eat (RTE) fish items. The convenience of processed and frozen fish is valued in preparing meals, and fish can also be a healthy alternative to junk food as nutritious snacks for children and adults.
The RTE fish product sector faces a range of challenges-- infrastructure constraints, low consumer trust and knowledge, weak distribution and market penetration, and comparatively higher prices. Cold chain management is the heart of the frozen and processed fish business and requires technical know-how, industry-related expertise, and investment. Due to cold-chain management constraints, RTE fish products are only available in modern retail outlet chains and cannot reach mass retail outlets. And consumer awareness of RTE fish is low; these products are relatively new in most markets. Consequently, retail prices remain high. This creates an opportunity for fish processing companies to develop marketing and distribution channels to popularize RTE fish products.
Aquaculture Activity would like to address the constraints of growing the RTE fish sector in partnership with one or more processors to make RTE fish products more available and affordable.
Objective
Subject to donor approval and availability of funds, the Aquaculture Activity is looking for an organization/ firm that can address the major marketing, distribution, and infrastructural constraints and promote RTE fish products in retail channels to increase fish consumption. Aquaculture Activity works with a very large number of fish farmers, and the successful applicant will present a market penetration strategy, which features a strong procurement strategy to engage these mostly smallholder fish farms.
Proposed business models/concepts must satisfy and support the following:
- Building institutional linkage between large or medium industrial processors and smallholder farmers in the FtF zone.
- Improving farmers’ knowledge on aquaculture Better Management Practices (BMP)
- Ensuring a sustainable model (e.g., contract farming) that provide better prices to farmers for their harvest.
Scope of Work
The selected partner will provide the following key results related to the intervention within eight-month project period.
- Develop a multi-stakeholder consortium to source and process raw fish to make those ready-to- eat and ensure availability of RTE fish items at the major cities in Bangladesh.
- Facilitate export or shipment of cultured fish to any foreign market. The fish have to be sourced from FtF zone.
- Improve the capacity of fish farmers and supply chain actors on improved post-harvest management techniques to meet demand from exporters and super shops.
- Establish or improve the supply chain infrastructure (i.e., cool chain, cold storage etc.) to ensure smooth procurement of fish from FtF zone.
Submission Details
Interested parties should submit application by using the attached application form and budget template on or before 08 October 2022 to: wfbanaproject@cgiar.org mentioning the title of solicitation or Request for Application (RFA) in the subject line. Due to the high volume of applications, only shortlisted applicants will receive a response from WorldFish.
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