Quality control: the "bottleneck" of agricultural exports
On December 22-23, the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) coordinated with the Agriculture and Environment Newspaper and the Hai Phong Department of Agriculture and Environment to organize the Forum on Connecting Agricultural Products in the Red River Delta, aiming towards the Tet market. The forum is designed as a space for direct exchange between management agencies, businesses, cooperatives, and farmers, aiming to remove bottlenecks in the consumption of winter agricultural products, a time of large supply, short harvesting periods, and increased market pressure at the end of the year.
Beyond just the "sales" aspect, the forum focused on in-depth discussions about organizing production according to market signals, controlling quality, and gradually shifting from a quantity-based mindset to a value-based mindset.
Sharing at the forum, Mr. Bui Kien Cuong, representative of Golden Agricultural Development Joint Stock Company, stated that the demand for imported onions from India and many Asian markets is very high. However, the paradox of "bumper harvest, low prices" continues to recur in domestic onion-growing regions.
According to Mr. Cuong, the core reason lies not in quantity but in quality, specifically pesticide residue levels (MRL) exceeding permissible limits. This is a mandatory criterion in exports, yet it is a common weakness in current onion production. Onions are a sensitive crop, requiring high-level care techniques and stricter cultivation processes than many other crops.
“To meet export standards, we cannot apply the old mindset of using pesticides commonly used for rice or other crops. Onions require a specific set of pesticides, a specific process, and strict adherence from the beginning to the end of the season,” Mr. Cuong emphasized.
However, the biggest challenge lies in organizing large-scale production. In fragmented production conditions, farmers often prioritize solutions that are easy to implement, low-cost, and offer short-term results. Meanwhile, export-standard processes require synchronization from input materials and cultivation techniques to harvesting and processing – something that small-scale production finds very difficult to achieve.
Based on this reality, the business representative believes that market connection is only truly effective when accompanied by a reorganization of production. Only when pesticide residue levels are controlled and processes are standardized on a sufficiently large scale can Vietnamese onions effectively exploit potential markets and gradually escape the vicious cycle of “bumper harvest, low prices.”
From the perspective of an export business, Ms. Ngo Thi Thu Hong, Director of AMEII Vietnam Joint Stock Company, said that the company is currently focusing on purchasing and exporting many types of winter crops, with a focus on carrots and cabbage. On average, AMEII exports about 80-100 containers of carrots to the South Korean market each year. In addition, the company is also expanding its distribution network for items such as chili peppers, Chinese cabbage, and lettuce, serving the needs of kimchi processing.
“This year, our two main competitors, China and Taiwan (China), are facing difficulties due to crop failures and delayed harvests. This is an opportunity for Vietnamese agricultural products to increase their market share. AMEII has partnered with 6-8 factories to increase carrot production and hopes these facilities will continue to upgrade their scale to meet the increasingly high demands of international partners,” Ms. Hong said.
According to AMEII, building and managing raw material areas, along with the support of government agencies, is a prerequisite for sustainable exports. Businesses are aiming for growing areas that meet VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards, considering this a "passport" to access and maintain markets.
Besides exporting fresh agricultural products, AMEII hopes that scientists and management agencies will strengthen research and technology transfer for processing and deep preservation. This will not only help increase added value but also extend the export period year-round, reducing dependence on seasonal factors.
“The Korean market has now tightened controls, conducting inspections of all imported shipments. Therefore, farmers need to cooperate long-term and strictly comply with food safety regulations. AMEII's technical experts closely monitor the growing areas for at least 30-45 days before harvest to supervise and take samples for testing. At the same time, we also propose policies to support logistics costs, especially in the Hai Phong area, to increase the competitiveness of Vietnamese agricultural products,” Ms. Hong suggested.
Standardizing growing area codes and expanding markets for winter agricultural products
From the perspective of state management, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, said that production control and traceability are now not only required for exported agricultural products or the high-end segment, but also for the domestic market.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is coordinating the review, amendment, and supplementation of several regulations of the Law on Crop Production, including Article 64 on planting area codes and packaging facilities, in order to create a more consistent and practical legal framework. Once these regulations come into effect, the development and management of planting area codes will be implemented more systematically, laying the foundation for official exports and simultaneously improving the quality and transparency of agricultural products consumed domestically.
According to Ms. Huong, many export protocols to China continue to be standardized for items such as bananas, watermelons, and jackfruit; while the Australian market has officially opened to Vietnamese pomelos. This is a positive sign for the crop production sector to expand its market in the future.
In addition, regarding the overall assessment of this year's winter crop in the northern region, Ms. Huong stated that the planted area reached approximately 380,000 hectares, given the large remaining land available. The industry's orientation is to establish the winter crop as a primary production season, contributing to increased value per unit area, higher incomes for farmers, and the development of local agricultural product brands.
To better serve the Tet (Lunar New Year) market, Ms. Huong noted that localities need to closely monitor the planting season, flexibly adjust the planted area according to market signals; review the crop structure according to groups harvested before, near, and after Tet; strengthen safe production, proactively process and preserve crops on-site, and promote market connections, especially targeting markets with Lunar New Year celebrations such as China, South Korea, Taiwan (China) and Singapore.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn