Dong Thap expands farm product traceability

With nearly 135,000ha of fruit orchards producing more than 2.5 million tonnes annually, Dong Thap Province is one of Viet Nam's major suppliers of fresh produce for both domestic consumption and export. Durian, jackfruit, and mango are among the province's key fruit crops.

Dong Thap has granted growing area codes to approximately 51,000ha of cultivation land and has nearly 500 packing facilities serving export markets. This production scale requires rigorous management of information throughout the value chain, from cultivation and harvesting to post-harvest handling, packaging, and distribution.

Across many production areas, traceability is increasingly becoming an integral part of farming practices. Several cooperatives and production zones, including mango-growing areas in My Tho and My Hiep communes, the Lai Vung pink mandarin production area, and high-quality rice production zones, have adopted electronic farm diaries, growing area codes, and batch-level information management systems.

Transparency strengthens consumer trust

At the mango orchard of Nguyen Van Mach in My Tho Commune, improving fruit quality goes hand in hand with participation in a certified growing area code program, compliance with VietGAP standards, and the adoption of organic-oriented farming practices.

Mach also participates in the "My Mango Tree" initiative, a local program that has been maintained for several years. Through the initiative, consumers can learn about individual mango trees, cultivation practices, and harvested products. Mangoes from his orchard, along with those of many other farmers, have been promoted and marketed in provinces and cities across Viet Nam.

According to Mach, the combination of growing area codes, VietGAP-certified production, and the "My Mango Tree" initiative has enabled farmers to reach a broader customer base while providing buyers with reliable access to product information.

The experience at Mach's orchard demonstrates that traceability extends beyond regulatory compliance. By making production areas, cultivation practices, and product quality transparent, farmers can strengthen consumer confidence, enhance their reputation, build closer connections with buyers, and expand market opportunities.

According to Nguyen Tan Cuong, Vice Chairman of the Dong Thap Union of Science and Technology Associations, developing well-organized and concentrated production areas has become essential as markets increasingly demand higher quality standards and greater transparency.

"Reorganizing production along value chains is no longer optional, it is a necessity, with traceability playing a central role. Cooperatives serve as the link between farmers, packing facilities, and purchasing enterprises. We guide our members in maintaining production records, monitoring cultivation processes, and compiling information for each growing area, production batch, and shipment.

Farmers can use mobile devices to update electronic farm diaries, including records of farming practices, agricultural inputs, harvest dates, and product deliveries. The data are stored as electronic records, enabling stakeholders to verify information whenever necessary," Cuong said.

Traceability, therefore, goes far beyond simply placing a QR code on product packaging. While QR codes provide consumers, businesses, and regulators with access to product information, the true value of a traceability system lies in the accuracy, completeness, and continuity of the data collected throughout every stage of the production and supply chain.

At a recent training program on traceability implementation for enterprises and cooperatives, jointly organized by the Dong Thap Department of Science and Technology and the National Numbering and Barcodes Center, experts emphasized that an effective traceability system must be capable of identifying products, production batches, and production sites, while also collecting, storing, and sharing data among stakeholders throughout the supply chain.

Experts from the National Numbering and Barcodes Center highlighted the principle of "one step back, one step forward." Under this approach, each stakeholder must be able to identify both the supplier at the previous stage of the supply chain and the recipient at the subsequent stage.

According to Tran Ngoc Trung, a specialist at the National Numbering and Barcodes Center, traceability goes far beyond providing information about a product's origin. It also enables businesses to build consumer trust and communicate the story behind their products.

By scanning a QR code on the product packaging, consumers can access information such as the producer, growing area, harvest date, packaging process, and relevant certifications that have been recorded and updated within the traceability system.

If a shipment of agricultural products is found to contain pesticide residues exceeding the permitted limits, traceability data allow authorities to trace the product back to the growing area, preliminary processing facility, and packing house, as well as trace it forward to the receiving destination. This enables competent authorities to quickly identify the affected scope, collect samples, issue warnings, and carry out targeted product recalls.

Although traceability does not replace laboratory testing or food safety inspections, it significantly improves the speed and precision of incident management, minimizing disruptions to product batches that are not involved.

Expanding traceability across the entire value chain

Under Plan No. 1077/KH-UBND, issued by the Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee on July 9, 2026, the province has set out a series of specific targets to enhance food quality, food safety, and traceability for agricultural, forestry, and fishery products.

The plan aims to increase the number of safe agricultural, forestry, and fishery supply chains by at least 10% annually. At least 70% of participating supply chains are expected to fully comply with requirements on product quality, food safety, and traceability. In addition, the province targets the review, updating, and management of 100% of growing area codes and packing house codes for key agricultural commodities in accordance with national regulations.

In 2026, Dong Thap plans to pilot a traceability system at at least one durian pre-processing and packing facility, providing a model for evaluation before expanding the system to other agricultural commodities.

By 2030, the province aims for 100% of OCOP products in the agricultural sector to be covered by a traceability system, excluding community-based tourism, ecotourism, and tourist destination service categories.

Dong Thap also targets the receipt, verification, coordination, and handling of 100% of food quality and food safety alerts within its management scope in accordance with applicable regulations.

Each year, the province plans to support at least five enterprises, cooperatives, and production or trading establishments in adopting advanced quality management systems, technical standards and regulations, productivity improvement tools, and traceability systems.

Traceability is increasingly being integrated into the management of growing areas, packing facilities, OCOP products, food safety, and the province's key agricultural value chains.

The expansion of traceability is also aligned with the risk-based, data-driven product quality management approachintroduced under Decree No. 37/2026/ND-CP. Under the decree, products classified as high-risk must implement traceability in accordance with the product lists and implementation roadmap issued by the relevant sectoral ministries.