Vietnamese agricultural products adapt quickly to maintain the market

According to Dr. Ngo Xuan Nam (photo) - Deputy Director of the Vietnam SPS Office ( Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ), if Vietnamese agricultural products want to maintain the EU market, producers (individuals, households, cooperatives, enterprises) need to proactively update information, adjust production processes, and more strictly control maximum allowable residue levels (MRL) at low levels (0.01 ppm) to meet EU regulations in the coming time.

Recently, the EU announced new regulations on pesticides, can you provide specific information on this issue?

- It must be affirmed that not only the EU market but also many members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have recently increased the number of notifications to seek opinions from WTO members on changes to food safety and animal and plant quarantine (SPS) measures. On average, each month, the Vietnam SPS Office receives about 100 draft notifications and effective notifications.

First of all, we must understand correctly: These are draft notices of regulations on changes to the maximum residue level (MRL) for 4 active ingredients of plant protection products, namely: Zoxamide, Fenbuconazole, Penconazole and Acetamiprid, notified by the EU to WTO members, accordingly, depending on each specific product, the MRL level can increase or decrease or remain the same. In which, there are many MRL levels that have decreased significantly for each specific product. We have updated the details of the level of change on the website of the Vietnam SPS Office.

Coffee processing in Dak Doa, Gia Lai . Photo: RT.L

In the first 4 months of 2024, Vietnam's agricultural, forestry and fishery exports to European markets reached 2.55 billion USD, an increase of 38.6% over the same period in 2023. The market share of Vietnam's agricultural, forestry and fishery exports to Europe accounted for 13.4% of total export turnover.

The time for consultation with WTO members is 60 days and the deadline for comments on the final notification is: September 12, 2024. The expected time for EU application is from February 2025.

Notably, the scope of application includes all countries and territories importing agricultural and food products into the EU and even within the EU, not just for Vietnam as some information on social networks.

How do you assess the impact of the new EU regulations on Vietnamese agricultural products when imported into the EU? Which Vietnamese products will be directly affected?

- Any change in market regulations will affect domestic production, it may be more favorable if the MRL level is relaxed or require us to control more strictly if the MRL level is reduced. For these EU notifications, depending on the active substance and each specific product, the EU has clearly defined in the draft notification.

With the new announcement from the EU, some Vietnamese products will be affected. For example, for the active ingredient Zoxamide, it is expected to increase in tomatoes (from 0.5 - 2 ppm, up 4 times), onions, garlic (from 0.02 - 0.7 ppm, up 35 times); it is expected to remain the same in cucumbers, watermelons, pumpkins (2 ppm), pepper (0.05 ppm).

Meanwhile, the maximum allowable residue level for the active ingredient Zoxamide is expected to decrease in the citrus fruit group, the nut group (including peanuts, cashews, macadamia nuts...); the large fruit group with inedible peel (avocado, banana, mango, papaya, pineapple, guava, durian and other fruits); the fresh or frozen vegetable group, bell pepper, okra, cabbage, cereal group (rice...) from 0.02 to 0.01, a 2-fold decrease; especially for lettuce, salad, spinach, it will decrease from 30 ppm to 0.01 ppm, a 3,000-fold decrease.

For the active ingredient Acetamiprid, the EU plans to keep it the same in citrus fruits (0.9 ppm), coconuts, cashews, macadamia nuts (0.07 ppm)... Expected reduction for the following products: Bananas, cucumbers, zucchini, melons, pumpkins, watermelons, cabbage, spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, sweet peppers... from 2.5 to 80 times depending on the product.

For the two active ingredients: Fenbuconazole and Penconazole, the EU also sets MRLs for citrus fruit groups, nut groups (peanuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, etc.), large fruits with inedible peels (avocados, bananas, mangoes, papayas, pineapples, guavas, durians and other fruits), fresh or frozen vegetables, onions, garlic, tomatoes, chili, okra, tea, coffee, pepper, rice, honey, etc.

It can be seen that depending on each specific product or each active ingredient, the EU plans to change the MRL, in which many MRL levels have been deeply reduced related to many products that Vietnam has been exporting to the EU.

Given these changes from the EU market, what recommendations do you have for Vietnamese businesses?

- As I said, changes in the import market are frequent and continuous, so if Vietnamese agricultural products want to maintain the EU market and many other markets, producers (individuals, households, cooperatives, enterprises) need to proactively update information, adjust production processes, and more strictly control low-level MRLs (0.01 ppm) to meet EU regulations in the coming time.

Growing areas, farming areas, enterprises, packaging and processing facilities, associations, industries, management agencies and localities strengthen links towards co-management of food safety and quality, contributing to standardization right from input materials.

The Vietnam SPS Office is committed to supporting, updating and providing transparent information on food safety (changes in MRL levels, regulations on food additives, etc.), regulations on quarantine subjects, etc. of all markets to help relevant parties best meet these regulations.

Thank you!

Source: https://danviet.vn/eu-ra-quy-dinh-moi-ve-thuoc-bao-ve-thuc-vat-nong-san-viet-thich-ung-nhanh-de-giu-thi-truong-20240815174105926.htm