Building growing area codes associated with safe production

From now until 2030, Thai Nguyen province strives to have 70% of tea growing area assigned with growing area codes.

Inevitable trend

Mr. Nguyen Ta, Head of the provincial Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection (BVTV), said: Agricultural production creates agricultural products to supply the market. Meanwhile, the needs of consumers when buying products are to ensure food hygiene and safety (FSH), beautiful design, good quality and traceability of origin. Therefore, the issuance of growing area codes has met the current inevitable trend.

The growing area code is an identification code for a growing area to monitor and control the production situation, product quality and trace the origin of crop products, including two types: the growing area code for export issued by the Plant Protection Department and the domestic growing area code issued by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment).

Currently, the province has 62 tea growing area codes, 23 rice growing area codes, 8 fruit growing area codes, 1 vegetable growing area code, and 1 bamboo shoot growing area code. The whole province has 62 domestic consumption codes and 33 export codes.

In fact, it is not easy to be granted a growing area code. With a domestic growing area code, in addition to ensuring that the production area is controlled by a common standard or production process, it is also necessary to ensure the area (minimum 0.1 ha); meet all conditions to ensure food hygiene and safety such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP, organic, 4C, sustainable production standards, certification of food safety qualified facilities for initial production facilities, food of initial origin...

In particular, information on traceability, crop species, crop variety names, acreage, standards, applied processes, expected yield, expected harvest time, expected consumption market (at the beginning of the crop or harvest cycle) and official yield at the end of harvest must be updated according to the crop and harvest cycle, after being assigned a growing area code.

For export, the requirements are higher when the area of ​​fruit trees granted a growing area code must be at least 10 hectares; vegetables and spices, depending on the actual area of ​​the net house, greenhouse and the requirements of the importing country; other crops must comply with the requirements of the importing country... At the same time, the requirements for pest management must comply with the plant quarantine requirements of the importing country; the growing area must only use pesticides in the list of pesticides permitted for use in Vietnam and must ensure that no banned active ingredients are used according to the requirements of the importing country...

Currently, out of a total of 95 growing area codes in the province, there are 62 tea growing area codes.

Expanding agricultural product consumption market

With quite strict regulations, the growing area code is contributing to increasing the competitiveness of the province's key agricultural products, promoting linkages, forming sustainable value chains and expanding the consumption market for agricultural products both domestically and for export. For example, with the Tan Cuong Midland Tea Cooperative (Thai Nguyen City), being granted a growing area code has helped the unit's tea products become increasingly prestigious in the market.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Duong, Director of Tan Cuong Trung Du Tea Cooperative: Up to now, we have had 15 hectares of tea with a growing area code. Implementing the requirements in the process of granting growing area codes has helped us gain more knowledge about safe production. In particular, through meticulous diary keeping as well as being granted a QR code to trace the origin, members of the Cooperative must strictly follow the processing, care and cultivation processes, thereby creating safe products, making consumption more convenient.

Also, being granted a growing area code has raised the "brand" of agricultural products for businesses, cooperatives, and cooperative groups in the province. The clearest evidence is the Tan Quang safe fruit tree production cooperative (Song Cong city). In 2024, the cooperative has 1 hectare of guava produced according to the VietGAP process, which is granted a growing area code and is guaranteed by supermarkets and clean agricultural product stores, so the output of the product is favorable, the value obtained is about 30% higher than before. Continuing the momentum, the cooperative is striving to have an additional 5 to 7 hectares of fruit trees granted a growing area code.

Although positive results have been achieved, Mr. Ta said that fragmented, small-scale, household production; there are still households that have not fully recorded the care and harvesting process... is a "barrier" to expanding the area of ​​​​granting planting area codes in Thai Nguyen. At the same time, he recommended that people focus on granting planting area codes for key, strong crops with high economic value.

In the coming time, the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection will continue to inspect, monitor, appraise, and guide the issuance of crop area codes according to the province's plan and people's needs. In particular, it will pay attention to the management and supervision of safe agricultural products and the protection of the ecological environment.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/nong-nghiep/202504/xay-dung-ma-so-vung-trong-gan-voi-san-xuat-an-toan-0192859/