Local firms and farmers must meet tracebility requirements in foreign markets

Local enterprises and farmers needed more information about the origin of export products because importers and retailers overseas had higher demands for traceability of agricultural products, according to experts.–Photo baocongthuong

HÀ NỘI – Local enterprises and farmers needed more information about the origin of export products because importers and retailers overseas had higher demands for traceability of agricultural products, according to experts.

According to Cao Thị Kim Lan, director of Bình Định Seafood Joint Stock Company, regulations under the EU illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing act, 100 per cent of her company’s shipments must be kept at port for their origin to be established. Due to the requirement, the company faced many difficulties purchasing raw material for export processing because many did not meet the origin requirements of overseas markets, reported Người lao động (The Labourer) newspaper.

In addition, overseas retail chains have set strict standards that exporters must follow if they want to sell goods at their chains.

Đào Hà Trung, chairman of the HCM City High Technology Association, said Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, had asked suppliers to use traceability with blockchain technology to ensure food safety and security.

During a recent project sponsored by the Australian Embassy to help Việt Nam’s build a global brand for its agricultural products, the pilot application of blockchain technology was used to trace Vietnamese dragon fruit exported to Australia. Consumers in Australia could use their smartphones to trace the dragon fruit and access information about growers in Việt Nam.

Nguyễn Thu Hằng, a representative of the Asia Foundation, said more and more consumers around the world wanted access to the traceability of imported food.

This consumption trend gives Việt Nam’s agricultural products an opportunity to build their brands and expand their markets if products meet these high standards.

Hoàng Trung, director of the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), said in the era of Industry 4.0, traceability must also be digitised.

Many markets did not require the use of high technology for traceability but local enterprises must still meet traceability requirements, he said. Therefore, enterprises and producers should start using high technology for traceability.

Võ Quan Huy, director of Huy Long An Co. that specialises in exporting bananas to Japan, said the company had followed the VietGAP production process and standards of importing companies but still logged traceability manually.

The company had received positive feedback on the traceability of its products from Japanese importers, he said, so at present, his company did not need to use technology to trace its products.