Smallholder farmers to get support to improve food safety

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, will help Vietnamese smallholders farmers improve the safety of their products like poultry, fruits and vegetables in a new project.
Smallholder farmers to get support to improve food safety ảnh 1New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Wendy Mathews (R) receives the IFC's Food Safety Toolkit in Vietnam (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The International Finance Corporation (IFC), amember of the World Bank Group, will help Vietnamese smallholders farmersimprove the safety of their products like poultry, fruits and vegetables in anew project.

The project is expected to unlock new market opportunities and increaseincome for the smallholder farmers, thus contributing to better food security,the IFC announced during an event to launch the project in Vietnam on June 22.

The project, Farmer Advisory Component, is a component of IFC’s broader Vietnam Food Safety Programme, which waslaunched in July 2017 in partnership with the Slovak Republic, aiming toaddress food safety standards and practices in the country.

The annual food consumption in the domestic marketaccounts for roughly 15 percent of Vietnam’s GDP, with an average annual growthrate of approximately 18 percent. But, inadequate safety standards can inhibitthe sector’s growth potential, jeopardising consumer health and reducing marketopportunities for local food producers in the modern food value chain. 

“Implementing internationally accepted food safetypractices and systems is essential for the sustainable growth of Vietnam’sagribusiness sector. This will improve competitiveness and help increase salesfor farmers and food producers,” said Kyle Kelhofer, IFC Country Manager forVietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. “IFC’s work in Vietnam builds on our experience inother countries around the world where we helped local players grow and createnew and better opportunities.”

[Vietnam wants World Bank’s support in food safety]

Over the next three years, IFC, in partnership withNew Zealand, will raise awareness of increased food safety standards anddeliver customised training programmes to about 1,000 smallholder farmers basedon the basic level of GlobalGAP requirements and other relevantstandards. The project will also provide a more intensive package ofsupport to up to 20 small-scale farms, helping them acquireGlobalGAP certification — an internationally recognised set of farm standardsdedicated to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) or equivalent standards.

It will also identify opportunities to connect thetrained farmers with potential retailers and agribusiness firms who are lookingfor internationally certified products. 

“Improving food safety standards in order to accessnew markets is key to achieving Vietnam’s 40-billion-USD agricultural productexport target in 2018 and beyond,” said New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam WendyMathews. “We are very pleased to support IFC's efforts to connect smallholderfarmers with growing domestic and international markets. Promoting betteragribusiness practices and food safety standards will benefit Vietnam’sfarmers, businesses and consumers.” 

Under the IFC Vietnam Food Safety Programme, the IFChas helped 40 poultry houses of two independent downstream poultry farms whichsource breeding chickens from Bel Ga JSC – a leading poultry breeding firm –acquire the GlobalGAP Certification within just a year. 

By establishing a system for GlobalGAP, whichfocuses on hygiene and biosecurity, antibiotic reduction, and traceability,among others, these two farms — from Binh Phuoc and Dong Nai provinces — havebeen able to supply about 3 million GlobalGAP-certified broilers or 6 millionkilogrammes of chicken meat to the domestic market and export to Japan over thepast year.-VNA
VNA

See more

Arrestees in the case (Photo: VNA)

Police bust international fraud ring, arresting 56 suspects

The criminal network orchestrated scams involving Bitcoin (BTC) investments through the UniSat app and fraudulent TikTok-related tasks. Operating across multiple countries, the scheme inflicted significant financial losses on numerous victims.

Truong Huy San (Photo: Ministry of Public Security)

Man prosecuted for abuse of freedom, democracy rights

Truong Huy San, 64, residing in Ho Chi Minh City, has been prosecuted for “abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to violate interests of the State, rights and legitimate interests of organisations and individuals” under Article 331 of the Penal Code.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam conducts citizen protection in Japan assault

The labour management board at the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan on February 12 contacted labour unions to gather updates and implement citizen protection measures for a Vietnamese worker who was assaulted by a Japanese national.

Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Viet Hung meets with the OVs in Sakaeo province, Thailand. (Photo: VNA)

OVs in Thailand preserve cultural legacy

The Vietnamese community in Sakaeo province, Thailand has maintained traditional practices, from wearing Ao dai (traditional long dress) during major celebrations to preserving authentic cooking methods, heard a recent meeting between Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Viet Hung and the overseas Vietnamese (OV) as part of the diplomat’s visit to the locality.