Pilot models for safe agricultural production and trading under the Vietnam Good Agricultural Practice (VietGAP)/Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) in eight provinces and cities have seen encouraging results and are being multiplied across Vietnam. 

A workshop to review and popularise the production models, funded by the Vietnam National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department and the Canadian International Development Agency was held in Ho Chi Minh City on September 5. 

After six years of implementation, all 13 pilot fruit and vegetable production establishments, 11 pig farms and nine out of 14 poultry breeding units were granted the VietGAP certificate. All six abattoirs and five meat selling establishments also met VietGAP standards. 

Additionally, the Canada-funded Food and Agricultural Products Quality Development and Control Project has built a food safety control system and is applying it to vegetable commodities in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong and to pork and poultry commodities in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Nai. 
Dr. Pham Thi My Linh from the Southern Horticultural Research Institute said that thanks to following the VietGAP production process, input costs are lower than normal, thus much more profit is generated.-VNA