Tracing origin on the package of a peppercorn product from the Bau May agro-trade-tourism cooperative (Photo: VNA) Ba Ria - Vung Tau (VNA) - The southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau has been working to boost the traceability of its agricultural products, with initial success recorded in the value of those applying the technology.
The province last year first implemented a project promoting and managing an origin tracing system to control the quality of local products, build trust, and encourage people to consume safe food. The move was also considered a solution for raising awareness about information and transparency in production.
According to Trinh Duc Toan, deputy head of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s agro-forestry-fishery management agency, the system allows consumers to check the production, processing, and preservation of farm produce using blockchain technology or QR codes. Producers, meanwhile, can save time recording information on their products by using digital apps.
A number of local cooperatives have posted significant gains from applying the system.
As a result of its three-year effort to achieve Global GAP (Good Agricultural Practice) standards, the Bau May agro-trade-tourism cooperative in Xuyen Moc district’s Hoa Hiep commune exported over 100 tonnes of peppercorn to European nations, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and China, among others, in 2019. Revenue from the shipments was much higher than from normal market prices.
Lam Ngoc Nham, director of the cooperative, which grows 30 ha of pepper, said good standards and clear origin help his products gain easier access to supermarkets and foreign countries.
The Song Xoai pomelo cooperative in Phu My town, meanwhile, has 30 percent of its annual output recognised as having organic origin, which then sell quite quickly and for a price 50 percent higher than market prices.
By 2025, Ba Ria - Vung Tau plans to have at least 20 percent of enterprises operating in production and business using origin bar codes. It will also begin introducing legal documents regulating the origin tracing system and connecting to the national origin tracing portal.
It has prepared plans for trademark development and origin tracking for 1,200 ha of longan, 1,000 ha of custard apple, 500 ha of pomelo, and 300 ha of dragon fruit./.
VNA
