Tighten management of growing area codes to prevent illegal trading

The leader of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) affirmed that the illegal trading of growing area codes is an illegal act, affecting the reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products.

At the regular press conference of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in November held on December 4, Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection Nguyen Quoc Manh informed that the authorities had prosecuted a number of subjects related to the illegal trading of growing area codes, which has received a lot of attention.

According to Mr. Manh, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is currently managing two types of growing area codes: Growing area codes issued according to the provisions of Article 64 of the Law on Cultivation (domestic growing area codes) and growing area codes for packaging facilities, implemented according to protocols signed with importing countries (export growing area codes). To date, the Ministry has issued 5,900 domestic growing area codes, 9,334 export growing area codes and 1,752 packaging facility codes.

“Recently, the authorities have prosecuted a number of subjects related to the illegal trading of growing area codes. The Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection found that growing area codes for export have been clearly stipulated in the protocol, and the codes have been granted for clear areas and subjects. The exchange and trading of growing area codes that are not in accordance with regulations is illegal and needs to be strictly handled,” said Mr. Manh.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Manh answered at the press conference. Photo: Quang Hung

Mr. Manh further emphasized that the illegal trading of growing area codes has greatly affected the reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products in the importing countries. These are very serious acts, directly affecting production.

To overcome the shortcomings, the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection has submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment a proposal to amend the Law on Crop Production, including amending Article 64 to add codes for growing areas and packaging facilities for management. The Department hopes that people, businesses and organizations will clearly understand the regulations related to the issuance and management of growing area codes for strict implementation.

In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has also directed relevant units to apply technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to trace the origin of agricultural products, initially piloting with durian.

Previously, on November 5, the Ministry of Public Security said that the Police Department for Investigation of Crimes of Corruption, Economic Crimes, and Smuggling had prosecuted 17 defendants in the case that occurred at the Center for Verification and Quality Services (Retaq), NhoNho Technology Company Limited (NhoNho Company), Thuy Fruit Company Limited (Thuy Fruit Company) and related units.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, during the investigation, the Department of Police Investigation of Crimes of Corruption, Economic Crimes, and Smuggling discovered that in the field of durian export business from Vietnam to China, there were activities of buying and selling growing area codes, buying and selling inspection certificates, violating accounting regulations, causing especially serious damage to state assets.

These violations also affect the proper operation of legitimate businesses, leading to the situation of exported durians of incorrect origin, not meeting standards, affecting the reputation and reducing the competitiveness of agricultural products in general, and Vietnamese durian in particular, in the Chinese and world markets.

Nearly 1,000 more codes for growing areas and packing facilities for Vietnamese durian approved by China

Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, said that as a result of the working session between the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the General Administration of Customs of China at the end of November, China approved nearly 1,000 additional codes for growing areas and packaging facilities for Vietnamese durian.

At the meeting, the two sides also signed a protocol on exporting fresh jackfruit from Vietnam to China. This is an important milestone demonstrating the very strong political and commercial cooperation between the two countries.

Mr. Dat emphasized that signing the protocol is an opportunity but also a challenge as Vietnamese farmers and jackfruit industry will have to raise awareness in producing good agricultural practices, applying scientific and technical measures to increase product quality, meet requirements on plant quarantine, food safety and traceability of jackfruit to meet China's requirements.

"The signing of the protocol also shows that Vietnamese agricultural products are increasingly meeting the quality and requirements of importing countries. When we meet the strict requirements of the Chinese market, we will also meet the requirements of other markets," said Mr. Dat.

Also at the meeting, Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang proposed 11 hot issues to the General Administration of Customs of China to promote the export of Vietnamese agricultural products to the neighboring country. After jackfruit, the two sides will soon continue to sign a protocol on exporting potential fruits such as grapefruit and citrus fruits to China.

In response to these proposals, the General Administration of Customs of China has proposed appropriate solutions to promote the export of agricultural products, aquatic products, animal products such as bird's nests, poultry, etc.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Xa-hoi/siet-chat-quan-ly-ma-so-vung-trong-ngan-chan-tinh-trang-mua-ban-trai-phep-i790080/