On the morning of September 25 in Hanoi, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment coordinated with the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) has launched the Project “Digital monitoring of VietGAP compliance in the fruit value chain of smallholder farmers in the Northwest for high-quality domestic markets and potential export markets” (AGB/2022/114).
The project is funded by the Australian Government, with a total value of 2.1 million Australian dollars (about 35 billion VND), the Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute (FAVRI), the Northern Mountainous Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute and the Vietnam National Academy of Agriculture and the Australian Institute for Applied Crop Research (AHR) jointly implement the project. The project is implemented to implement the Crop Development Strategy to 2030, vision 2050, the Project on developing key fruit trees to 2025 and 2030, and directly support the Son La Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030.
Overview of the Project Kick-off Workshop. Photo: Quynh Chi.Ms. Monica Finlayson - Agricultural Counselor, Australian Embassy said that through the project, the Australian Government will support Vietnamese farmers to have more access to digital tools, promote production according to VietGAP standards and expand export markets. This is also an opportunity for both sides to share experiences in the agricultural sector.
Mr. Pham Ngoc Mau - Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), emphasized that the project is the result of concretizing the direction of science and technology cooperation between Vietnam and Australia. He said that the project idea was formed from bilateral policy dialogues in Sydney, and at the same time reflects a new development in the cooperative relationship when the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding, agreeing to change the approach and implementation method.
Project AGB/2022/114 is expected to create a pioneering VietGAP digital monitoring model. The project will focus on integrating digital systems with management agencies and production units, providing technical training to farmers, and encouraging the application of GPS and other digital tools to monitor the entire value chain.
In particular, promoting the digital transformation process in the value chain through the RAT (Real-time Audit and Traceability) digital monitoring system. This system allows for strict control from farmers, cooperatives, businesses to the market, helping consumers check the origin of products via smartphones and QR codes.