Growing area codes - "leverage" for agricultural products to reach far

Linking farmers and businesses

Mekong Fruit Export Cooperative Union in Chau Thanh Commune, Can Tho City is one of the leading units in developing raw material areas and building growing area codes for export. From a raw material area of 400 hectares in 2022, the area has now been expanded to more than 650 hectares and is implementing the construction of growing area codes for crops such as dragon fruit, coconut, Nam Roi grapefruit, green-skinned grapefruit, and seedless lemon. These are agricultural products that importing countries such as China, Europe, the US, etc. require growing area codes and clear traceability of origin.

The growing area code makes it easier to consume mangoes at Vinh Trung Red Sand Mango Cooperative.

Master Tran Ba Son, Director of Mekong Fruit Export Cooperative Union, said: "The growing area code is only established when the enterprise cooperates closely with farmers and signs a contract to purchase agricultural products. After signing the contract, we send technical staff to guide farmers to follow the steps required by the agricultural importing country. Each engineer is in charge of 30-40 farmers. Then, samples of agricultural products are taken for analysis. If they meet the standards, they are collected, purchased and exported. Each shipment is traceable to ensure that agricultural products are only taken from the registered growing area."

According to the Director of the Mekong Fruit Export Cooperative, when establishing growing area codes with farmers, many people hesitated during the cultivation and purchasing process. Some households thought the process was too difficult, and sometimes even asked to withdraw. Because of the anticipated difficulties, the unit stipulated a minimum area of 10 hectares when establishing growing area codes, but often deployed from 15-20 hectares for each code.

Meanwhile, Vinh Trung Red Sand Mango Cooperative, in Vinh Tuong Commune, Can Tho City, currently has 20 members, including 11 official members and the rest are associate members, with a total area of over 10 hectares. During the production process, members keep full diaries. The unit's products are mainly exported to the Chinese market at a price of about 30,000 VND/kg, depending on the time.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Director of Vinh Trung Cat Hong Mango Cooperative, shared: "Previously, when there was no growing area code, people selling mangoes encountered many difficulties. Since being granted a growing area code, traders have assessed that the cooperative's products have clear origins, are strictly inspected and monitored for quality. Thanks to that, the cooperative's mangoes are purchased at a price 2,000-3,000 VND/kg higher than the market price."

As a member of Vinh Trung Red Sand Mango Cooperative, Mr. Nguyen Van Cam happily shared: "With a growing area code, buying and selling is easier, and the selling price is higher than that of other households. I heard from traders that this mango is for export, so the growing area code is very important now. We try to produce quality products to maintain the reputation of the cooperative."

Maintain and increase quantity

According to the report of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Can Tho City, as of August 2025, there were 576 codes for growing areas that had been granted codes; the total area granted codes for growing areas was 9,335 hectares, accounting for 2.01% of the land area for crop production, with the number of households participating in the growing areas being 8,143 households. Of which, the codes for growing areas serving export were 457 codes, with a total area of 5,807 hectares, accounting for 1.25% of the land area for crop production; the number of households participating in the growing areas was 5,948 households. The codes for domestic growing areas were 119 codes, with a total area of 3,548 hectares, accounting for 0.76% of the land area for crop production; the number of households participating in the growing areas was 2,195 households. For packaging facility codes, the total number granted to date is 25; The number of participants is 16 establishments.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Giang, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Can Tho City, said: To meet the strict requirements of the market, the functional sector is continuing to coordinate with localities to strengthen propaganda, training, and technical support for farmers and businesses on the process of building and managing codes for growing areas and packaging facilities. The application of information technology is also promoted to ensure transparency and traceability of products. The most important thing now is that building growing areas is difficult, but maintaining and protecting growing area codes is even more difficult. Every year, the functional sector implements a plan to monitor and maintain codes, especially focusing on controlling harmful organisms according to the requirements of the importing country. Experts recommend that farmers need to strictly manage growing area codes, absolutely not lend or rent, because if violations occur, the importer can cancel the code and then it will be very difficult to restore.

The growing area code is considered a "green passport" that helps agricultural products not only reach the international market, but also affirm their position with stable and long-lasting quality. In the context of deep integration, this is no longer a choice but has become a mandatory requirement for global competition. In fact, many cooperatives and enterprises in Can Tho City have proactively invested in this work. However, to maintain the growing area code, there needs to be close coordination between management agencies, enterprises and farmers, along with strict compliance with technical processes. Only then will Can Tho City's agricultural products be competitive and develop sustainably on the world export map.

Article and photos: MONG TOAN

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/ma-so-vung-trong-don-bay-cho-nong-san-vuon-xa-a190379.html