Policies hinders trading of local agricultural products

Policies concerning investment, land, business prerequisites, quarantine control and quality control, all have acted as barriers for business, said Tran Thi Thanh Nhan, a researcher from the institute.

“These problems are causing a lot of difficulties in management and discouraging firms from expanding production,” Nhan said.

Nhan, using the meat industry as an example, said that consumer confidence in locally-produced products is lower than imported products and often has higher prices.

Nhan said that the procedures for licences in animal husbandry and slaughter are complicated, while there are conflicts between relevant regulations and inconsistent translations between different State management agencies.

She added that there is a shortage of regulations in the following areas: criteria for safe and clean products, organic products and management of imported ones. This in turn makes it difficult to prevent fraud and ensure fair competition.

“Detailed instructions about origin tracing of agricultural products are needed,” Nhan said.

Nhan said that investment procedures must be further simplified for agricultural production projects, while land policies and regulations about quality standards and quality control must be transparent.

Ta Van Tuong, Director of Hanoi Husbandry Development Centre, said that it is necessary to cut intermediaries and develop an agricultural production value chain.

“The sector’s planning must focus on developing the value chain from production to processing and distribution,” Tuong said.

Experts said that it is also important to tighten management towards quality of agricultural products at traditional market.

Statistics show that more than 80% of pork, for example, is sold at traditional markets, where there lacks much regulation of slaughter and processing.