Product identification and traceability remain the two pillars of modern market management, Tran Huu Linh, Director General of the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said at a conference on October 9 on enhancing the value of Vietnamese products.

Farmers and businesses must improve product quality, and strictly follow the rules of origin and ensure food safety to boost fruit exports, experts said.

Regulations on criteria for “made-in-Vietnam” products have not been issued since the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s proposal five years ago due to difficulties in origin traceability and worries over the burden of compliance costs on enterprises, the ministry said.

Vietnam’s garment-textile exports are likely to encounter a host of challenges in terms of both market and supply chain in the second half of this year despite positive results in the first half, heard a seminar in Ho Chi Minh City on June 21.

Vietnam has verified, rated, and recognised a total of 3,200 products as “One Commune, One Product (OCOP)” goods this year, 800 higher than planned, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.