According to Dr Nguyen Quoc Vong, an expert from the Agriculture Department in New South Wales, Australia, Viet Nam does not have enough skilled farmers and professional agronomists.

He said that major challenges involved crop cultivation plans that result in low export value, unsustainable agricultural development and low rural incomes.

For example, the area under rice cultivation in Viet Nam, amounts to 7 million hectares, as against 1.4 million hectares of fruit trees or plants.

He said that WTO-member countries market was estimated to be US$103 billion worth of fruit and vegetables, and only US$10 billion worth of rice.

Despite the country’s uneven crop cultivation planning, Viet Nam has managed to become the world’s largest pepper and cashew exporter, surpassing India. Globally, it is ranked second in rice and coffee exports in 2006.

But more effort was needed, Vong said, to increase the capacity for processing, which would yield higher export value than unprocessed or semi-processed agricultural products.

WTO rules

Vong said that WTO regulates farm products’ size, colour and packaging. A specific delivery time is also required in addition to prices that do not reflect dumping on foreign markets.

The quality of goods must be ensured by a certificate of origin and by a GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certificate that ensures food sanitation.

To meet WTO regulations, agricultural experts are calling on the industry to focus on the GAP programme and improve pre – and post-harvest technology. Other factors, such as packaging, the amount of pesticides and labourers’ working conditions and social insurance, are to be considered as well.

Dr Joseph Ekman, an agricultural expert from the Agriculture Department of New South Wales-Australia, said WTO members had set their own standards on food safety, such as the EuroGAP in the EU and FreshCare in Australia.

Viet Nam, he said, needed to quickly build a VietGAP programme based on the ASEAN GAP that was created for ASEAN members in November 2006.

He also urged the agricultural sector to map out a strategy to develop the fruit, vegetable and flower industries to increase export value.

Like the EuroGap and FreshCare programmes, the VietGAP programme for local farmers could not only help them meet WTO regulations but also serve as a so-called technical trade barrier that could protect domestic agricultural products, he added.

Source: Vietnam News