Many difficulties in managing planting area codes.

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - Considered a "passport" for agricultural products to access and be consumed in large markets, the planting area code (MPC) has become a strict production standard that many localities and production areas strive for to increase economic value. After a period of implementation, the issuance of MPCs in the province has yielded many noteworthy results. However, managing and using MPCs after issuance has become a difficult problem for localities and producers.

Báo Thanh Hóa•23/07/2025

The rice production area, which has been assigned a planting area code to the Thieu Phuc Agricultural and Electricity Service Cooperative in Thieu Hoa commune, is subject to strict monitoring of the production process.

To enhance the competitiveness of agricultural products, Thanh Hoa province's agricultural sector is focusing on promoting product traceability, especially supporting farmers in obtaining traceability certification for key crops. However, establishing traceability certification is not easy. This is because agricultural production in the province is still small-scale and backward, with limited concentrated production areas (while the requirement for obtaining traceability certification is an area of 10 hectares or more); the relatively high cost of certification also poses a challenge to implementation. Furthermore, a major objective reason is that not all countries or markets importing agricultural products include traceability standards in their import and export regulations. Therefore, businesses and production and trading units in the province have not yet prioritized, or even ignored, the development of traceability certification for agricultural products.

Faced with these difficulties, the agricultural sector and localities have made efforts to develop improved rice cultivation methods to enhance the value of agricultural products. Since 2022, the Thieu Phuc Agricultural Service and Electricity Cooperative in Thieu Hoa commune has developed a plan to develop improved rice cultivation methods on an area of 10 hectares, with approximately 50 households participating in production. The model applies improved rice cultivation processes to improve rice quality. To ensure the product meets standards, the cooperative has organized awareness campaigns to help people understand the benefits of participating in the development of improved rice cultivation methods; and organized training on production techniques for people to apply in practice. Throughout the implementation process, the cooperative has always been supportive, regularly inspecting and monitoring the technical process... At the same time, it has guided households to meticulously record the stages of fertilization, spraying pesticides, and harvesting; Use organic fertilizers and pesticides that are on the list of permitted substances, appropriate for each stage of plant growth and development, absolutely no herbicides are used, and sufficient waiting periods are ensured before bringing the product to market.

Despite the new production process, thanks to the correct application of techniques and strict monitoring, the quality of the rice produced in this area meets standards and has been certified by the relevant authorities. To date, after nearly 3 years, this production area is still maintained, with an annual yield of 70-72 quintals/hectare, about 10% higher than traditional rice production areas; the quality of the rice is guaranteed, leading to product purchase contracts with two large enterprises: Tam Phu Hung High-Tech Food Co., Ltd. and Thuan Dung Food Co., Ltd. However, Mr. Truong Van Tuan, director of the cooperative, said: "Building the MSC for rice cultivation is difficult, but managing it is even more challenging. Maintaining the farmers' awareness of production is a crucial step. Furthermore, currently, there is a problem of counterfeit rice products from the region that has been granted the MSC by the cooperative appearing on the market, affecting the product's reputation. Therefore, we hope that the relevant authorities will take strict measures to protect the quality of our products and maximize the value of the granted certification."

In reality, the management of traceability codes also faces many shortcomings, such as: in some production areas, records on traceability are not kept and stored as required (cultivation logs); some owners of growing areas lack awareness of protecting the codes, leading to situations where production is not linked according to common procedures; product quality is inconsistent... Faced with this situation, the provincial agricultural sector has propagated and guided localities to promote digital transformation, standardize from seeds, cultivation processes; harvesting and post-harvest processes; organize production towards safety, with production linkages and product consumption... At the same time, it has taken action to suspend and revoke traceability codes that do not maintain quality and violate regulations on granting traceability codes according to Decision No. 3156/QD-BNN-TT dated August 19, 2022, of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ).

According to statistics from the Thanh Hoa Provincial Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, in the first six months of 2025, the province newly issued 13 Certificates of Origin (MSVT) covering an area of 120.18 hectares, bringing the total number of registered growing areas to 121 with 1,125 hectares. Simultaneously, the province exported over 553,000 tons of canned vegetables and fruits, and 150 tons of rice through official channels. In reality, MSVT is a mandatory requirement for some types of exported agricultural products and is also an inevitable trend for an agricultural sector that needs transparency in origin and quality assurance according to standards. Therefore, in order to prepare a good foundation for granting VietGAP certification, Thanh Hoa province has established 17 provincial-level concentrated production areas and 55 grassroots-level concentrated production areas, with over 4,000 hectares of agricultural products certified to meet VietGAP standards... At the same time, it has strengthened the application of advanced production processes, ensuring food safety and hygiene requirements and standards. In addition, districts, towns, and cities have also focused on registering geographical indications, building trademarks and brands for local agricultural products...

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