Public-private cooperation adapting to EUDR

Over 8 - 9 December in Gia Lai Province, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in cooperation with GIZ through the project "Sustainable Agriculture for Forest Ecosystems - Viet Nam Component" (SAFE), organized the conference "Strengthening capacity and readiness for the EUDR implementation in Viet Nam."

Immediately after the EU issued the EUDR in June 2023, which set strict requirements on the legality and origin of agricultural products imported into the EU market, Viet Nam proactively implemented coordinated activities among ministries, sectors, localities, and international partners. A notable example is the organization of a Technical Dialogue Seminar with the EU Delegation in Viet Nam to clarify EUDR requirements, discuss the implementation roadmap, and agree on the compliance process.

In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) held numerous technical- and leadership-level exchanges with the EU on solutions. The Ministry’s specialized agencies have prepared action plans to adapt to the EUDR in stages, including establishing a public-private cooperation framework, finding suitable technical solutions, building dialogue channels, and mobilizing resources.

According to the specialized agencies, Viet Nam’s agricultural supply chains are facing multiple challenges in meeting EUDR, particularly regarding geolocation data, traceability, and the implementation of anti-deforestation monitoring systems.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hoan, Deputy Director of the Gia Lai Department of Agriculture and Environment, stated that Gia Lai is a locality with strong potential for agricultural and forestry development, with over 105,000 hectares of coffee, producing approximately 300,000 tons of beans annually, of which 45% is exported to the EU market.

In addition, there are more than 86,000 hectares of rubber, with an estimated yield of 1,520 kg/ha, producing over 112,000 tons of dry rubber. In the first nine months of 2025, total exports reached 1.3 million tons, generating USD 2.32 billion. The wood sector also achieves annual export revenues of around 900 million USD.

In recent years, Gia Lai Province has proactively implemented comprehensive adaptation measures to the EUDR, such as developing baseline data at provincial and commune levels on production areas affected by EUDR; building and implementing traceability systems along supply chains down to specific points and polygon boundaries of individual farms for affected commodities.

Developing sustainable supply chains

Currently, Gia Lai is working closely with international organizations such as IDH, GIZ, and the business community to develop plantation databases, establish traceability systems, and protect forests.

The results achieved in Gia Lai’s EUDR adaptation journey reflect a process of consolidation and standardization after the provincial merger, enabling synchronized management from cultivation and harvesting in the highlands to processing and export in coastal areas, creating a fully transparent and closed-loop supply chain.

"The European deforestation regulation is not just a technical barrier but also a catalyst for restructuring the agriculture and forestry sector, especially as Gia Lai has extensive coffee and rubber raw material zones and is a leading hub for wood processing and export in the region," said the Deputy Director of the Gia Lai Department of Agriculture and Environment.

According to Mr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, in the context of global trade increasingly tied to green and sustainable standards, the EUDR sets very high requirements regarding the origin and legality of agricultural and forestry products. These requirements directly affect Viet Nam’s key export sectors such as coffee, rubber, and wood, which involve millions of households and thousands of enterprises contributing significantly to local economic development, particularly in the Central Highlands.

The EUDR is not only a challenge but also an opportunity for Viet Nam to upgrade forest resource governance, land-use planning, data standardization, traceability mechanisms, and the development of sustainable supply chains in the coming years.

Mr. Tuan also noted that the conference concentrated on three main objectives: updating Viet Nam’s preparations and international developments in the EUDR implementation process to timely grasp requirements, changes, and international experiences; enabling a comprehensive understanding and proactive prioritization of solutions; and strengthening exchanges and experience-sharing among ministries, sectors, localities, industry associations, and communities of coffee, rubber, and wood businesses, between management agencies and international partners.

“This provides a unified foundation for coordination mechanisms, data governance, traceability, and the management of deforestation-free raw material zones; it also promotes public-private cooperation and mobilizes international resources in finance, technology, and technical expertise… all of which are important conditions for Viet Nam to build supply chains that meet international standards.

At the conference, delegates discussed and updated Viet Nam’s preparations for implementing the EUDR, shared domestic and international experiences, and engaged in dialogue on coordination mechanisms, data governance, traceability, and the management of deforestation-free raw material zones. Participants also conducted field surveys in several production areas in Gia Lai to assess cultivation conditions and the potential for developing deforestation-free supply chains.

* USD 1 = VND 26.367 (Source: Vietcombank)