Many difficulties in managing growing area codes

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - Considered a "passport" for agricultural products to access and be consumed in large markets, the growing area code (MSVT) has become a strict production standard that many localities and production areas aim for to increase economic value. After a period of implementation, the issuance of MSVT in the province has achieved many remarkable results. However, the management and use of MSVT after being issued has become a difficult problem for localities and producers.

The rice production area has been assigned a growing area code by Thieu Phuc Agricultural - Electricity Service Cooperative, Thieu Hoa commune, and the production process is closely monitored.

To increase the competitiveness of agricultural products, the agricultural sector of Thanh Hoa province is focusing on promoting the implementation of product traceability, especially supporting farmers in issuing MSVT for key crops. However, building MSVT is not easy. Because agricultural production in the province is still small and backward, the concentrated production area is not large (while the requirement to be granted MSVT is an area of ​​10 hectares or more); the relatively large cost of granting MSVT is also a difficulty for the implementation process. Besides, an objective reason is that not all countries and agricultural import markets include MSVT standards in import and export regulations. Therefore, enterprises, production and business units in the province have not paid attention to, or even ignored, the construction of MSVT for agricultural products.

Faced with these difficulties, the agricultural sector and localities have made efforts to develop MSVT to increase the value of agricultural products. Since 2022, Thieu Phuc Agricultural - Electricity Service Cooperative, Thieu Hoa commune has built a plan to develop MSVT for rice with an area of ​​10 hectares, about 50 households participating in production. The model applies improved rice cultivation processes, improving rice quality. In order to have products that meet standards, the Cooperative has organized propaganda sessions so that people clearly understand the benefits of participating in MSVT development; organized training on production techniques for people to apply in actual production. During the implementation process, the Cooperative always accompanies, regularly checks and supervises the technical process... At the same time, instructs households to meticulously record the stages of fertilization, spraying, and harvesting; Use organic fertilizers and pesticides on the list of permitted uses, suitable for each stage of plant growth and development. Absolutely do not use herbicides and ensure sufficient quarantine time before bringing products to market.

Although the production process is new, thanks to the correct application of techniques and strict monitoring of the process, the quality of the rice production area meets the standards and is granted MSVT by the specialized agency. Up to now, after nearly 3 years, this production area is still maintained, with an annual yield of 70 - 72 quintals/ha, about 10% higher than the traditional rice production area; the rice quality is guaranteed, so a product consumption contract has been signed with 2 large enterprises, Tam Phu Hung High-Tech Food Company Limited and Thuan Dung Food Company Limited. However, Mr. Truong Van Tuan, director of the cooperative, said: "Building MSVT for rice is difficult, but managing it is even more difficult. In particular, maintaining people's awareness of production is an important step. In addition, currently, in the market, there has been a case of impersonation of rice products from areas granted MSVT by the cooperative, affecting the "reputation" of the product. Therefore, we hope that the specialized agency will take strict measures to protect the quality of the product and promote the value of the granted certificate."

In fact, there are many shortcomings in MSVT management, such as: in some production areas, there is no record or archive of traceability records according to regulations (cultivation diary); some owners of growing areas are not aware of protecting codes, leading to a situation where production is not linked according to common processes; product quality is uneven... Faced with the above situation, the provincial agricultural sector has propagated and instructed localities to promote digital transformation, standardization from varieties, cultivation processes; harvesting and post-harvest processes; organizing production in a safe direction, with production linkage and product consumption... At the same time, handle suspension and recall of MSVT that do not maintain quality and violate regulations on granting MSVT according to Decision No. 3156/QD-BNN-TT dated August 19, 2022 of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ).

According to statistics from the Thanh Hoa Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, in the first 6 months of 2025, the whole province has newly issued 13 MSVT with an area of ​​120.18 hectares, bringing the total number of coded growing areas to 121 areas with 1,125 hectares. At the same time, more than 553,000 tons of canned vegetables and fruits, 150 tons of rice have been exported through official channels. In fact, MSVT is a mandatory requirement for some types of agricultural products for export and is also an inevitable trend of an agriculture that needs to have transparent origin and ensure quality according to standards. Therefore, in order to prepare a good foundation for granting MSVT, Thanh Hoa province has established 17 concentrated production areas at the provincial level and 55 concentrated production areas at the grassroots level, with more than 4,000 hectares of agricultural products certified to meet VietGAP standards... At the same time, it has increased the application of advanced production processes, ensuring food hygiene and safety requirements and standards. In addition, districts, towns and cities also pay attention to registering for geographical indication protection, building brands and trademarks for local agricultural products...

Article and photos: Thanh Hoa

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/nhieu-kho-khan-trong-quan-ly-ma-so-vung-trong-255875.htm