Basic GAP helps ensure safe crop production

The process, including 26 most basic criteria among 65 standards of VietGAP, has been built by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with JICA support, aiming to facilitate safe crop production. Certification for Basic GAP application is not compulsory.

JICA Vice Chief Representative in Vietnam Okiura Fumihiko said most Vietnamese farmers are small-scale producers with their products mainly sold in the domestic market, making them hard to follow VietGAP and other higher standards.

Thus, Basic Gap may be the best choice for them to increase the quality and safety of their products, meeting higher requirements of domestic consumers, he said.

Yamamoto Satoshi, senior advisor of JICA, revealed that the process has been applied in six northern localities including Hung Yen, Ha Nam, Quang Ninh, Thai Binh, Hoa Binh and Hai Phong with a goal of raising awareness of technical staff and farmers in ensuring food safety.

Following Basic GAP, the farmers knew how to select safe and quality chemicals and agricultural materials, harvest crops effectively, and improve their production method towards sustainability, he added.

Nguyen Thi Vang, Deputy Director of the Ha Nam Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said producing safe vegetables under Basic GAP is suitable to local farmers' conditions, helping them reduce input costs and protect the ecological environment.

Deputy Director of the ministry's Department of Crops Production Tran Xuan Dinh said it is necessary to devise a strategy on expanding the model and help stakeholders make sense of benefits from Basic GAP application.

(Source: VNA)