Many requests, many procedures
VietGAP has been implemented since 2008 with the expectation of becoming a common standard in safe agricultural production. However, reality shows that the applied area has not made a breakthrough.
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Quy Duong - Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) - assessed that, through the process of summarizing the practical implementation of VietGAP, one of the reasons pointed out is that this set of standards includes many requirements on food safety, environmental protection, land protection and a fairly complex recording and monitoring system.
Our ultimate goal is to create safe products, but if the process has too many procedures and is too complicated, it will be very difficult for people to apply it" - Mr. Duong assessed.
As a unit with many years of production according to VietGAP, Mr. Hoang Anh Thu - Deputy Director of Tan Minh Duc Cooperative (Hai Phong) - shared that previously VietGAP had more than 60 criteria, after being simplified, there are still more than 40 criteria, so the application is still quite difficult: "From recording, keeping records to technical requirements, it all requires more time and effort than ordinary production".
Most people directly involved in agriculture are old, and their access to technology is still limited. Meanwhile, the requirements for dossiers, production diaries, and VietGAP traceability are quite detailed, making application more difficult. In addition, the selling price of VietGAP vegetables on the market is not really different from products produced according to conventional processes.
People do more but haven't sold at a higher price
However, according to production units, the biggest barrier of VietGAP is not technical but the story of output. Mr. Hoang Anh Thu said that producers have to spend more costs and effort when applying VietGAP, but the selling price of products has not had a significant difference in the market.
There are products produced by traditional methods that look more eye-catching, and the price is equivalent to or lower, consumers find it very difficult to recognize which vegetables are VietGAP and which are conventionally produced vegetables. Therefore, they are not willing to pay a higher price for products produced according to strict processes" - Mr. Thu said.
According to representatives of Tan Minh Duc Cooperative, when more effort is put in but profits do not increase correspondingly, farmers find it difficult to have the motivation to maintain or expand production areas according to standards.
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Van Minh - Director of Van Duc Agricultural Production, Business and Service Cooperative (Bat Trang commune, Hanoi) - analyzed that to make production standards effective, it is necessary to solve the market problem simultaneously.
No matter how good the standards are, producers still have to see the actual benefits. If the products produced do not have stable output or are not recognized by the market, it is very difficult to encourage people to participate" - Mr. Minh emphasized.
Faced with this reality, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is developing a draft new national standard on the production and preliminary processing of vegetables to ensure food safety in the direction of simplifying the requirements for recording, dossiers and implementation procedures. According to Mr. Nguyen Quy Duong, the new set of standards is not intended to replace VietGAP but to add a more suitable option for small production households and cooperatives.
Which standards are accepted will be decided by the market. If distributors, retailers and consumers find them suitable and ensure food safety, they will choose. Conversely, if they do not meet the requirements, they will use other standards. Therefore, we do not expect this set of standards to replace VietGAP or any other standards. We expect this to be another choice for manufacturers, businesses and consumers, contributing to improving the efficiency of food safety assurance as well as serving exports" - Mr. Duong added.
