Farmers receive help to raise quality, traceability of goods

Ho Chi Minh City – Farmers are increasingly receiving assistance from organisations to help them produce high-quality, traceable goods fit for export, experts said at a conference in HCM City on Friday.

Experts at a conference in HCM City yesterday said that adherence to international standards and traceability of goods would help farmers more easily enter export markets. – VNA/VNS Photo Việt Dũng

Vũ Kim Hạnh, chairwoman of the Vietnamese High Quality Product Business Association, said the association had issued more geographical indicator certificates and helped firms become more aware of high-quality standards.

She said that adding value during the agricultural process required modern technologies and deep understanding of markets, and that retailers must keep track of the quality of the food they sell.

Most farmers, however, are still unfamiliar with high-quality standards and applying for GLOBALG.A.P. certification.

Hạnh said that a cost-effective “localg.a.p.” programme would help them gradually reach GLOBALG.A.P. standards through consultancies and incremental goals.

Phạm Việt Anh, a representative of GLOBALG.A.P., said that a “localg.a.p.” number which identifies individual farmers would be included in the GLOBALG.A.P. database. These numbers will help improve traceability of their goods.

The programme also helps retailers find good local suppliers and farmers gain access to local markets.  

Lê Đặng Trung, general director of Real-Time Analytics, said that farmers’ use of mobile apps could help them enter information that would improve traceability. 

The conference was held by the Vietnamese High-Quality Product Business Association.