Tightening the clean agricultural production process
Recently, a number of enterprises and cooperatives in Gia Lai exporting agricultural products to Russia and Taiwan (China) have been warned of violations due to the presence of pesticides in coffee, bananas and Sudan dyes in pepper.
Mr. Nguyen Tan Cong - Chairman of Nam Yang Agricultural Service Cooperative (Dak Doa district) - said that the problem of Sudanese distillation tank was caused by packaging containing chemicals during drying. Immediately after discovering the cause, the cooperative inspected the quality of the product and instructed people to use standard white tarpaulins to ensure safety.
According to Mr. Cong, the pepper cooperative has met strict standards of Europe and the US for many years. This incident is a lesson to raise awareness about product processing and preservation processes.
Mr. Tran Hoang, an organic pepper farmer in Chu Se, said that in order for agricultural products to meet export standards, people need to change their production thinking. This includes selecting varieties of clear origin, good resistance to pests and prioritizing organic varieties suitable for local soil.
Instead of abusing pesticides, pepper growers should apply manual measures such as catching worms by hand, setting biological traps, using probiotics from ginger, garlic, and chili to protect crops.
"My family checks the quality of pepper periodically many times a year, despite the high cost. However, thanks to meeting strict standards, exported products have a much higher value than domestic consumption" - Mr. Hoang shared.
Quality determines export value
Mr. Tran Van Tai - the owner of an agricultural product purchasing enterprise in Gia Lai - affirmed that organic agricultural product production requires a strict process from cultivation, harvesting to preservation and transportation. Farmers need to pack according to anti-collision standards to extend storage time, while using a container refrigerator to keep the product fresh.
To ensure the quality of agricultural products for export, businesses and farmers need to cooperate with reputable logistics units. When quality is guaranteed, the value of agricultural products will increase, creating opportunities to sign long-term contracts with foreign partners.
Mr. Doan Ngoc Co - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Gia Lai province - said that after the recent incident, the authorities have issued recommendations on the process of processing and preserving agricultural products in accordance with standards. Clean agricultural production areas must ensure no pesticide residues, clear traceability and complete production logs to improve reliability. In particular, pepper exports need to meet quality certifications such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP, Organic, etc.
According to Mr. Co, demanding markets such as: Europe, the US, Japan, Korea... have strict requirements for quality. However, if businesses and farmers build reputation, they will have the opportunity to sign sustainable export contracts, bringing high economic value.
The incident of pepper spray contamination with colorants is an important lesson for Gia Lai people to change their production mindset. Only by complying with strict processes from production to preservation can Vietnamese agricultural products stand firm in the international market, bringing long-term benefits to farmers and businesses.
According to statistics, the whole Gia Lai province has about 256,000 hectares of crops of all kinds produced according to VietGAP, GlobalGAP, 4C, Organic, Rainforest Alliance, FLO standards (accounting for about 43% of the total planted area). Of which, nearly 60,000 hectares of crops are certified for production according to the above standards for coffee, pepper, tea, vegetables, tubers, fruits, rice, etc.
