Maintaining growing area codes and packing facility codes in accordance with regulations is a mandatory requirement for agricultural products to be eligible for export. Recently, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Hoa Binh province has intensified technical supervision of designated farming areas and packing facilities to safeguard the "green passport" that enables its products to access international markets.
Farmers in Ngoc Luong commune, Yen Thuy district, take care of pomelo orchards that have been granted farming area codes.
Since the beginning of this year, the Plant Production and Protection Sub-Department has advised the department on issuing, managing, and monitoring farming area and packing facility codes for exports. Communication and supervision have been strengthened at the district and city levels, with technical support provided for cultivation and regular field inspections to detect harmful pests.
The Sub-department also organised a training workshop in Kim Boi district focused on the issuance, management, and oversight of export certifications. Participants received detailed guidance on the procedures for inspection, maintenance, and compliance with international standards, particularly those required by high-potential export markets.
Additionally, the Sub-department conducted technical inspections of five growing areas and two packing facilities in Tan Lac and Yen Thuy districts. All inspected sites were found to be fully compliant with current regulations and met the requirements to retain their codes. No violations were recorded. The packing facilities met all technical standards, including maintaining clean processing environments, ensuring separate storage for raw and finished products, and using appropriate equipment for preliminary processing and packaging, in line with guidelines from the Department of Plant Production and Protection and requirements of importing countries.
Notable examples of compliance included Binh Minh Services and Rural Development Cooperative, the Tan Huong 1 Clean Grapefruit Growing Cooperative Group (Dong Lai commune, Tan Lac district), and Dai Dong Agricultural Cooperative (Yen Thuy district). These producers have diligently maintained cultivation logs, adhered to technical protocols in crop care, and used fertilisers as recommended.
Their adherence to traceability and production record-keeping has enabled their products to qualify for export to demanding markets such as the UK, the US, and the European Union. Thanks to these certifications, Hoa Binh’s key agricultural products, including Tan Lac red pomelo, Dien pomelo, longan, and bamboo shoots, have successfully entered new markets, thereby increasing export value and enhancing brand reputation.
Nguyen Hong Yen, Head of the Sub-department of Plant Production and Protection, emphasised that maintaining farming area codes not only ensures the quality and credibility of Hoa Binh’s produce but also serves as a prerequisite for the province’s deeper integration into global markets.
Looking ahead, the Department of Agriculture and Environment and its subordinate agencies will continue to work with localities to conduct both regular and unexpected inspections. They will also guide growers in using electronic cultivation logs, updating national software platforms, promoting investment in upgrading preliminary processing and packing facilities, and enhancing the capacity of local agricultural personnel.
Once seen as an industrial "zero" at the time of its re-establishment in 1991 and the following years, Hoa Binh province has undergone a remarkable transformation, emerging as a dynamic industrial hub in Vietnam's Northwest gateway region.
In Lac Thuy district, communes have been succeeded in promoting their One Commune-One Product (OCOP) products while others are still struggling to position their typical farming products in market. Some communes in the district still fail to have their products met OCOP programme’s requirements, while others have seen their certifications expired.
The inspectorate agency of Hoa Binh province has issued Official Dispatch No. 1090/TTr-PCTN to provincial departments, agencies, localities, business associations, enterprises, and investors regarding measures to improve informal component indexes of the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI).
Hoa Binh is taking concrete steps to improve its investment environment, with a strong focus on supporting businesses, settling obstacles for strategic investors, and creating opportunities for robust development in the coming years.
