Agriproducts managed via planning, cultivation area codes, traceability system

On May 25, Deputy Minister Vo Van Hung chaired a meeting to hear a report on the implementation of agricultural product traceability, serving production management, export activities, and enhancing transparency in agricultural supply chains.

Standardizing data to expand traceability

Director General of the Department of Science and Technology, Dr. Nguyen Van Long, said that in recent times, the agricultural product traceability system of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has been put into pilot operation, initially for durian, and is being further improved to expand to many other agricultural commodities.

As of May 25, 2026, the system has recorded 1,396 data streams covering 112 products, connecting 17,987 production facilities across 14 provinces and cities. The database includes 149 enterprises, 547 farming households, 255 cultivation areas, and 919 shipments, operating through four technology solution providers.

Practical pilot implementation shows that a chain-based, data-driven approach has delivered clear improvements. A “green lane” durian shipment, managed from cultivation area, harvesting, packaging, transportation to customs clearance, was completed in just six days, significantly shorter than the previous 8-11 days, and in some cases up to 21 days. Around 23,000 traceability stamps have been affixed to products, with data updated in real time and the entire process involving exporters, farmers, technology providers, and regulatory agencies.

However, Dr. Long noted that the implementation of agricultural traceability still faces several limitations: uneven participation; fragmented data; a lack of standardization; incomplete legal frameworks; technical standards; and mechanisms for data connectivity and sharing. Technical infrastructure and investment resources also remain limited, with reliance mainly on support from businesses and technology providers, which makes nationwide scaling difficult.

To address these issues, Director General Vu Van Long proposed clarifying the responsibilities of local authorities at each stage, especially in data entry, updating, and verification on the system. He also called for expanding the scope of implementation beyond pilot enterprises to allow all eligible businesses to participate.

Agreeing with the proposal, Director General of the Department of Plant Production and Protection Huynh Tan Dat emphasized the core role of his agency in managing cultivation areas, packing facilities, and production processes. Accordingly, he said the department will continue to review and improve standards and regulations in line with the requirements of each market; guide enterprises to comply properly with export procedures; and strengthen coordination with localities in granting cultivation area codes and controlling product quality.

At the same time, to ensure consistency and effectiveness across the entire chain, the department proposed clearly defining inspection frequency, sampling, and goods control mechanisms to ensure that products meet the requirements of importing markets. This would enhance the role of state management in directing, guiding, and supporting localities to implement traceability in a more substantive, effective, and sustainable manner.

Building a unified traceability system closely linked to cultivation zones, supply chain governance

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister Vo Van Hung affirmed that traceability is not merely aimed at reducing processing time, but fundamentally at controlling quality, ensuring safety, and enhancing product transparency. Administrative reform must be implemented through the scientific reorganization of procedures and the removal of unnecessary intermediary steps, while still meeting management requirements and market standards.

The Deputy Minister stressed that all implementation measures must be closely aligned with practical realities, avoiding rigid application or the creation of additional barriers for businesses. Traceability should be regarded as an effective management tool that enables authorities to proactively access information while helping enterprises improve their capacity to meet export requirements.

Based on practical demands and the context of international integration, the Deputy Minister emphasized that traceability must be embedded within the broader framework of sustainable agricultural development, with three closely interconnected pillars.

First, the planning of raw material production areas serves as the foundation, ensuring development is well-oriented, aligned with ecological conditions and market demand, and preventing spontaneous and uncontrolled expansion.

Second, the management of cultivation area codes is a mandatory requirement for participation in official export markets, requiring strict issuance and supervision closely linked to the responsibilities of local authorities and specialized agencies.

Third, traceability is a tool for ensuring transparency throughout the entire production chain. In the context of the national digital transformation agenda being accelerated under Politburo Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, the agricultural sector must regard data as the foundation of modern governance. The development of a national database on cultivation areas, export codes, and traceability should therefore be implemented in a synchronized manner nationwide.

The Deputy Minister called for stronger application of digital technologies such as GIS, QR codes, electronic logs, blockchain, and IoT to enhance transparency, reduce commercial fraud, and improve the effectiveness of state management. At the same time, these technologies are also important tools for building trust with importing markets and international consumers.

Deputy Minister Vo Van Hung also highlighted the need to transform agricultural development thinking toward a modern agricultural economy model, with market orientation, stronger supply chain linkages, and data-driven governance.

Concluding the meeting, the Deputy Minister requested all relevant units to urgently finalize procedures, systems, and implementation guidelines; clearly assign responsibilities; and ensure synchronized implementation from the central to local levels, accompanied by specific mechanisms for inspection, supervision, and evaluation throughout the implementation process.

The connection of data from nearly 18,000 production facilities, together with the participation of hundreds of enterprises, farming households, cultivation areas, and technology solution providers, initially demonstrates that the system is being implemented in a substantive manner and is gradually expanding its scope of application. The objective is not only to facilitate customs clearance activities, but also to build a data-driven supply chain governance platform that enhances transparency, quality control, and scalability nationwide.