Policies hinders trading of local agricultural products

Policies continue to discourage the production and trade of local agricultural products, research findings by the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development show. — Photo enternews

HÀ NỘI – Policies continue to discourage the production and trade of local agricultural products, research findings by the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development show.

Policies concerning investment, land, business prerequisites, quarantine control and quality control, all have acted as barriers for business, said Trần Thị Thanh Nhàn, a researcher from the institute.

“These problems are causing a lot of difficulties in management and discouraging firms from expanding production,” Nhàn said.

Nhàn, using the meat industry as an example, said that consumer confidence in locally-produced products is lower than imported products and often has higher prices.

Nhàn said that the procedures for licences in animal husbandry and slaughter are complicated, while there are conflicts between relevant regulations and inconsistent translations between different State management agencies.

She added that there is a shortage of regulations in the following areas: criteria for safe and clean products, organic products and management of imported ones. This in turn makes it difficult to prevent fraud and ensure fair competition.

“Detailed instructions about origin tracing of agricultural products are needed,” Nhàn said.

Nhàn said that investment procedures must be further simplified for agricultural production projects, while land policies and regulations about quality standards and quality control must be transparent.

Tạ Văn Tường, Director of Hà Nội Husbandry Development Centre, said that it is necessary to cut intermediaries and develop an agricultural production value chain.

“The sector’s planning must focus on developing the value chain from production to processing and distribution,” Tường said.

Experts said that it is also important to tighten management towards quality of agricultural products at traditional market.

Statistics show that more than 80 per cent of pork, for example, is sold at traditional markets, where there lacks much regulation of slaughter and processing