New food safety measures in agricultural sector
Under Vietnam’s action plan to ensure food safety in the agricultural sector, large-scale production…Under Vietnam’s action plan to ensure food safety in the agricultural sector, large-scale production areas for key national products will be expanded this year.
Agricultural products are classified into three main groups, including key national products, key provincial products and local specialties. The ministry this year has expanded the One Commune One Product Programme, in which each rural commune or district will develop its own specialty, apply high technologies, use organic cultivation procedures, and global Good Agricultural Practices in farming and production.
It is also strengthening chains for “safe” agricultural products and aquatic and forestry products. The origin of products continues to be traced, and the ministry has made efforts to seek markets for products.
According to the ministry’s report, 1,845 farms with a total area of 80,000 ha and more than 500 aquatic farms with an area of 2,618 ha last year were issued Vietnamese GAP (good agricultural practice) certificates. The country set up 1,249 chains of safe food with 1,450 products last year.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phùng Đức Tiến said that food safety in the agriculture sector improved last year thanks to more unannounced inspections. More than 70,500 agricultural material production and trade establishments were inspected. Among these, 5,223 were fined VNĐ39.8 billion (US$1.7 million) for violations.
The number of food safety violations last year fell by 38 percent compared to 2017 and the number of food poisoning cases dropped by 26 percent.