On the morning of August 24 in Lang Son City, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development coordinated with the People's Committee of Lang Son province to organize "Conference on strengthening state management of planting area codes and packaging facilities serving export".
The conference was held in a live and online format with the participation of nearly 400 delegates from units under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development of 63 provinces and cities nationwide, industry associations, representatives of growing regions, packaging facilities and export units, Institutes and Research Centers. Among them, some provinces have organized centralized bridge points such as An Giang, Binh Thuan, Tien Giang, Hau Giang, Vinh Long, Dong Nai and the Southern Plant Protection Center... Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Development Rural Hoang Trung and Mr. Luong Trong Quynh, Vice Chairman of Lang Son Provincial People's Committee co-chaired the conference at Lang Son city bridge
This conference focuses on comprehensively assessing the current status of code management such as code issuance, post-issuance inspection and supervision, maintaining conditions of growing areas and packaging facilities, thereby pointing out shortcomings and limitations that need to be overcome. At the same time, provide specific and feasible solutions to further strengthen State management of planting area codes and packaging facilities in the coming time. Solutions need to pay special attention to the responsibilities of authorities at all levels; inter-sectoral coordination of relevant agencies; the role of the producer; corporate ethics and business responsibility... Ensuring that Vietnamese agricultural products fully meet plant quarantine and food safety requirements, aiming for transparent, responsible, sustainable agriculture and green growth .
Reporting at the Conference, Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, Director of the Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) said: up to now, the whole country has 6,883 planting area codes and 1,588 packaging facility codes. agricultural products are provided. These codes focus mainly on main export products such as mango, dragon fruit, longan, rice, and durian. The markets of China, the United States, New Zealand and Australia are the markets with the largest number of growing area codes and packaging facilities. In particular, the Mekong Delta is still the leading region in terms of the number of growing area codes and packaging facilities.
However, recently, the Plant Protection Department has continuously received notices from importing countries regarding non-compliance with plant quarantine requirements, including banana, mango, durian, jackfruit, dragon fruit, longan... exported to the Chinese market and have chemical residues exceeding regulations (durian, rambutan, chili exported to Germany, France, Spain or frozen chili exported to Korea National). These notices also require Vietnam to have measures to strictly control phytosanitary objects and pesticide residues in agricultural products of export shipments...
At the conference, many comments were concerned about the situation of plant protection chemical residues in export shipments, non-compliance with regulations on plant quarantine and hygiene and safety of originating agricultural products. plants when exported, causing great damage to businesses and affecting the reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products.
Mr. Nguyen Phong Phu, Technical Director of Vina T&T Group and Mr. Hoang Khanh Duy, Deputy Head of the Management Board of Dong Dang Border Gate Economic Zone (Lang Son) requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to soon develop regulations and sanctions in The use of growing area and packaging facility codes, managing growing area codes and packaging facility codes more effectively, must protect code owners. At the same time, it is necessary to standardize and synchronize quality, packaging, labels, food safety and hygiene, traceability...
Regarding violations of planting area codes and packaging facilities, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Trung requested localities to check the issuance, management and use of codes at localities. “Using administrative measures, if shipments of goods arrive at the border gate and are detected by the plant quarantine agency, they will be required to re-export to the domestic market, not allow export and temporarily suspend the exploitation and use of codes. that number," Deputy Minister Hoang Trung directed.
Only when we have investigated and determined the exact cause to find remedial measures and have negotiated plant quarantine and food safety requirements with the importing country will we notify the locality and owner. Owning packaging facilities and growing area codes will continue to be allowed to exploit and export again.
“The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has worked with the Ministry of Justice and is asking the Government for permission to develop two more decrees. The first is a decree guiding the issuance of codes for growing areas and packaging facilities. Second is about sanctions in this field."
To improve the efficiency of the management of planting area codes and export agricultural product packaging facilities in the coming time, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Trung requested the Plant Protection Department to continue negotiations. to expand export markets and to be granted new codes for Vietnamese agricultural products by importing countries. Strengthen guidance, supervision, and inspection of the issuance, management, and use of codes in localities. Coordinate with ministries and localities in inspection, examination and handling of violations. Strengthen inspection and control of goods and information about growing areas and packaging facilities related to shipments. Detect, handle and absolutely do not issue phytosanitary certificates for shipments that do not comply with legal regulations on phytosanitary...
Regarding localities, Deputy Minister Hoang Trung also proposed to develop a mechanism and implement regular monitoring of preliminary processing and selection of goods to ensure no harmful organism contamination at approved packing houses. issue code. Improve the quality of initial inspection for growing area codes and packaging facilities; Strengthen monitoring of codes after they are issued. Review the planting areas that have been granted codes, do not issue codes to planting areas located in special-use forests, protection forests (except for medicinal plants under the forest canopy as prescribed by law) or areas with landslide risk…
