Tracing the origin of goods is an urgent requirement

Regarding this content, Hanoi Moi Newspaper reporter discussed with economic expert, Dr. Le Quoc Phuong, former Deputy Director of the Center for Industrial and Trade Information ( Ministry of Industry and Trade ).

Consumers scan the code to trace the origin of goods at Winmart supermarket (Cau Giay district). Photo: Do ​​Tam

- In your opinion, how does the issue of tracing the origin of goods arise when Vietnam increasingly integrates deeply into the global economy and trade?

- Vietnam is currently considered an export powerhouse among the world's top 20 economies in terms of trade. Therefore, it is inevitable that Vietnamese export goods must face many requirements from markets, including the issue of traceability of goods. If in the past, the requirement for traceability of goods was only for a few items such as food, pharmaceuticals, wooden furniture, etc.; now, this requirement has expanded to many items. At the same time, traceability is required for the entire supply chain from raw materials to semi-finished and finished products.

On the other hand, many free trade agreements (FTAs) require traceability. For example, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) requires textile products to use yarn and fabric produced in Vietnam or other countries within the bloc. Not only new-generation FTAs, but most FTAs ​​currently require traceability. Vietnamese export enterprises must comply with this regulation to expand their markets and boost exports.

- How do you evaluate the implementation of traceability of goods from both business and state management perspectives today?

- Besides businesses that do well in tracing exported goods, there are many businesses, especially small and medium enterprises, that have difficulty in this. The reason is that the current supply chain is very complicated, with many stages and many inputs. To have a system to trace the origin of goods, businesses must invest quite a lot in both technology and other resources, while businesses, especially small and medium enterprises, are limited in capital and technical expertise.

Not to mention, building a traceability system requires public disclosure and data sharing, making many businesses concerned about data security issues related to trade secrets, personal information, etc. Many businesses do not fully understand the importance and significance of traceability of goods, and do not consider it an essential and truly necessary issue. On the other hand, regulations on traceability are currently mainly voluntary, so many businesses have not applied or do not want to invest in traceability.

On the part of state agencies, regulations on traceability have been implemented, and many regulations, requirements and implementation organizations have been issued, supporting businesses, but the number of participating businesses is not as expected.

- In your opinion, how can we raise consumer awareness about the benefits of traceability?

- To raise consumer awareness of the benefits of traceability, the most important thing is to promote guidance and propaganda so that they can see the benefits of this in order to grasp information about products, from raw materials, production and processing processes, transportation, distribution and clearly identify counterfeit and fake goods. Through this, consumers can directly respond to businesses, becoming a two-way information channel between consumers and businesses, management agencies, thereby helping buying and selling activities to be more transparent and of better quality.

- What should businesses and state management agencies do to make traceability of goods more effective when new technology explodes?

- Tracing the origin of goods is essentially a technology application field. Therefore, to make this activity more effective, both businesses and state management agencies need to have new technology solutions.

Ministries, sectors and localities need to build databases and traceability information systems for products and goods under the management of the sector and locality; at the same time, these systems must be connected to the national goods traceability information portal. Currently, we mainly use blockchain technology to build information systems; however, technology develops and changes very quickly, so ministries, sectors and localities need to have forces to research and apply new technology and support businesses in the best and most convenient way, with the most friendly and easy-to-use interface system.

On the side of manufacturing and exporting enterprises, the importance of traceability must be recognized. In addition to quality and design, low prices, traceability must be considered a very important factor as a passport to increase reliability, ensuring that products are circulated smoothly in the domestic and export markets.

- What additional support policies are needed to promote the application of technology in tracing the origin of goods, sir?

- Currently, we have many policies to support the application of traceability, however, state management agencies need to issue specific regulations and standards for different types of goods, on that basis, businesses can build traceability.

To promote the application of technology in traceability, it is necessary to guide and support enterprises, cooperatives, production and business households, and individual farmers to digitally transform and build their own traceability systems for their products or product groups. At the same time, they are guided to connect this traceability system to the national traceability information portal.

In addition, state management agencies need to provide solutions, online traceability tools or electronic diaries, positioning systems, etc. to help businesses, cooperatives and especially farmers update information on origin instead of doing it manually. This helps trace the origin quickly, automatically, accurately and with high reliability.

Thank you very much!

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/truy-xuat-nguon-goc-hang-hoa-la-yeu-cau-cap-thiet-702833.html