Issuing growing area codes - "passports" to help Muong agricultural products reach out to the world
Managing growing area codes and packing facility codes is a key point in tracing the origin and geographical indications for some key agricultural products of Hoa Binh province when they meet export conditions. Therefore, granting growing area codes as well as implementing good traceability is identified by the agricultural sector of Hoa Binh province as an opportunity to increase the competitiveness of agricultural products in both domestic and export markets.
In recent years, along with developing industries, Hoa Binh province has encouraged and promoted support and supervision for organizations and individuals to register growing area codes and packaging facility codes to have more "passports" to bring Muong agricultural products to the world.
Carrying out net wrapping of Dien Dai Dong grapefruit (Dai Dong Cooperative, Dai Dong hamlet, Ngoc Luong commune, Yen Thuy district, Hoa Binh province) for packaging before loading onto trucks for export to the UK market. Photo: Duong Linh.
Accordingly, after a period of implementing support solutions for cooperatives and cooperative groups to implement technical measures to improve quality, improve product designs, issue and manage growing area codes... some Cao Phong orange areas have met the conditions to be exported to many high-end markets, including the UK market.
As a result, in January 2023, in Cao Phong district, 7 tons of fresh oranges were exported to the UK market. According to records, sample packages sent to the UK were cleared through customs without any problems regarding food safety or origin.
Then, by the end of 2023, farmers in Luong Son district welcomed great joy when the first batch of Dien Hoa Binh grapefruit was exported to the US market. Before being transported for preliminary processing, grapefruit products were sampled for inspection and passed 900 food safety inspection criteria according to EU requirements and regulations of the importing country.
The packaging contains full traceability information of Cao Phong orange products of 3T Farm Cooperative in Cao Phong district, Hoa Binh province. Photo: Linh Thuy.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Luong Son district, said: In order to overcome limitations in production and improve the quality of local specialty products for export, since the beginning of 2023, the provincial Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection has connected with RYB Joint Stock Company and Luong Son district to build and develop a production and consumption chain for grapefruit products in Luong Son district.
Specifically, the total area of the chain is over 51 hectares, with 82 households being members of 2 cooperatives and 1 grapefruit growing cooperative in the area participating in the implementation. Up to now, the initial chain has shown its effectiveness. After export orders, Dien grapefruit is consumed faster even in the domestic market. Thereby increasing the value and competitive advantage of the product, thereby contributing to increasing farmers' income.
Recently, in order to improve product design and quality to expand export markets and contribute to promoting digital transformation in agriculture, the People's Committee of Hoa Binh province has directed functional units to strengthen information, propaganda, and training for households with growing areas in the field of cultivation, packaging facilities, and fresh fruit export units.
Dien Luong Son grapefruit exported must go through many stages and inspections to meet standards of appearance, Brix level and 900 active ingredients... to be accepted by the US market. Photo: Tran Linh.
At the same time, monitor at least once a year/code according to the regulations of the importing country. The monitoring rate reaches 100% of codes/year. In concentrated orange and grapefruit growing areas, farmers actively invest in intensive cultivation, implement a series of technical solutions, and continue to implement key tasks of the Citrus Fruit Tree Replanting Project.
From 2019 to present, in accordance with the assigned functions and tasks, the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection of Hoa Binh province has advised on the issuance and implementation of directive documents from superiors and has guided, granted and managed planting area codes and packaging facility codes in accordance with regulations.
Up to now, under the direction of the People's Committee of Hoa Binh province, the efforts to support production from specialized agencies and localities, the whole province has had 46 export growing area codes with a total area of 389.77 hectares and 5 packaging facility codes issued by the Plant Protection Department and approved and maintained by the importing country.
Since then, a number of agricultural products have met the export requirements to markets such as the UK, the US, China, the EU, etc. As of the first 6 months of the year, the total export output of agricultural products of Hoa Binh province reached 725 tons of products, with an export value of about 31.6 billion VND, an increase of about 10% over the same period.
Hoa Binh strengthens the issuance and management of growing area codes and packaging facility codes.
To be granted a growing area code, farmers need to meet criteria for products such as: Safe production, pest control, keeping a farming handbook or field diary, product traceability, etc. Understanding these regulations, the agricultural sector of Hoa Binh province has encouraged and supported farmers to comply with care processes, ensuring that agricultural products when supplied to the market meet requirements, and at the same time guiding subjects to complete product records.
The Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection of Hoa Binh province checks the diary of a grapefruit growing household that has been granted a growing area code in Ngoc Luong commune, Yen Thuy district, Hoa Binh province. Photo: Thu Hoai.
However, after a period of implementation, the management of growing area codes and packaging facility codes shows that there are still many difficulties that need to be overcome, such as: Regulations of agricultural product importing countries are increasingly strict and frequently change, so local management agencies and exporting enterprises encounter certain difficulties in the process of updating information and applying implementation.
Some localities have not paid attention to the work of granting and managing codes for growing areas and export packaging facilities, and have not been proactive in monitoring the codes granted according to regulations. Some processing, packaging facilities and export growing areas have difficulty updating information to the national database system. There are no specific policies for supporting the granting, management and monitoring of codes for growing areas and packaging facilities. The area granted with codes for growing areas is still too small compared to the total crop production area of the whole province (accounting for 0.42% of the total area of 92,326 hectares)...
In addition, from 2020 to present, the specialized agency has made a record and reported to the Plant Protection Department to request the withdrawal of 2 banana growing area codes, 6 packing facility codes that are not needed, the code owner requested the withdrawal of the code and did not meet the requirements to maintain the code.
Mr. Nguyen Hong Yen - Head of the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection of Hoa Binh province, said that establishing a code for a growing area is already very difficult, but if management is loosened and plant quarantine objects are not well controlled, it will lead to a situation where exported agricultural products do not meet the regulations of the importing country, potentially causing a decrease in export market share.
Therefore, in order for farmers to comply with the cultivation process, as a basis for being granted a growing area code, aiming for sustainable production, promoting agricultural exports, the province directs functional units to increase support for organizations and individuals to implement pesticide residue monitoring programs to meet plant quarantine and food safety regulations; strengthen management and maintain the quality of growing areas and packaging facilities that have been granted codes. Thereby increasing the value of agricultural products in the area, contributing to increasing farmers' income.
According to the Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Product Quality Management of Hoa Binh province, establishing a code for growing areas will contribute to promoting digital transformation in the field of cultivation, serving the traceability of agricultural products; improving the effectiveness of State management of food safety in the province. Along with that, raising awareness of farmers, organizations and individuals in production in complying with regulations on plant quarantine and food safety, contributing to increasing the added value of domestic and foreign agricultural products.
Therefore, it is necessary to have a mechanism to seriously establish, manage and monitor codes for growing areas and packaging facilities serving export in the province. Organizations and individuals granted codes for growing areas and export packaging facilities must comply with regulations on establishing, managing, checking and monitoring codes for growing areas and packaging facilities in compliance with regulations of the importing country. Ensure close coordination between relevant parties in the process of implementing instructions and granting, managing codes for growing areas, tracing the origin and transparency of agricultural products.
Pursuant to Official Dispatch No. 1776/BNN-BVTV dated March 23, 2023 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the issuance and management of codes for growing areas and agricultural product packaging facilities for export, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hoa Binh issued Official Dispatch No. 1275/SNN-TTBVTV dated May 23, 2023 on strengthening the issuance and management of codes for growing areas and packaging facilities.
Based on the assigned functions and tasks, the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection proposes solutions to effectively manage the issuance of planting area codes and packaging facility codes and maintain them in accordance with regulations, focusing on the following contents: Strengthening state management of planting area codes and packaging facility codes. Promoting the issuance of planting area codes and packaging facility codes on key and advantageous crops. Having mechanisms and policies to encourage enterprises, cooperatives, and producers to improve conditions on human resources, technical requirements, and infrastructure of planting areas and facilities for primary processing and packaging of export products. Mobilizing and integrating resources to increase support for the completion of infrastructure and equipment of primary processing and packaging facilities and planting areas for export.
On the other hand, for growing areas and packaging facilities that are granted codes, it is necessary to properly maintain the conditions for the granted codes in accordance with regulations; regularly inform specialized agencies about the consumption and export of agricultural products; proactively and promptly update information on the requirements of agricultural product importing countries for implementation. The owner of the granted code needs to store, preserve records, keep logs and update logs to the national database software...
Source: https://danviet.vn/co-ho-chieu-tu-dau-nam-den-nay-725-tan-nong-san-cua-tinh-hoa-binh-da-duoc-ban-di-khap-the-gioi-20240630172308205.htm
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