Tien Giang Provincial People's Committee issued a Plan to implement the work of granting and managing codes for growing areas, packaging facilities and controlling food safety (FS) in growing areas and export packaging facilities in Tien Giang province with the following contents:

I. PURPOSE - REQUIREMENTS

1. Purpose

- Improve the effectiveness of state management in granting and managing codes for growing areas, packaging facilities, and food safety control.

- Strengthening the capacity to manage, inspect, evaluate, monitor and control the quality of agricultural products in growing areas and packaging facilities to serve the traceability of agricultural products to meet the requirements of importing countries in the new situation.

- Raise awareness, change people's production thinking in using fertilizers, pesticides, pest management; create safe, quality agricultural products that meet regulations on plant quarantine, food safety (banned active ingredients, pesticide residues, other chemicals,...) and traceability to increase the value of agricultural products in the province.

2. Requirements

- Applying traceability technology in the value chain for the province's key agricultural products, creating close links in each stage of production, cultivation, purchasing, transportation, preliminary processing, packaging, and controlling product quality.

- Raising awareness to change producer behavior towards transparent product information.

- Farming households in the code-granted area are trained to raise awareness about the safe and effective use of fertilizers and pesticides towards sustainable agricultural production, meeting the standards of export markets.

- Improve the effectiveness of state management of food safety, strengthen the capacity of management, inspection, assessment, monitoring, quality control, and pest management in growing areas and packaging facilities.

- Products from growing areas and packaging facilities must be coded to trace their origin, agricultural products must be quality controlled, and food safety must meet the regulations of importing countries.

II. IMPLEMENTATION CONTENT

1. Issuance and management of growing area codes

1.1. Organize and guide the registration of growing area codes and packaging facilities

- Implementation content:

+ Deploy training courses for organizations, individuals, cooperatives, and cooperative groups on the role and importance of developing codes for growing areas and export packaging facilities; support the registration of codes for growing areas on crops and agricultural packaging facilities in production areas that meet export requirements.

+ Guide and receive applications for registration of new growing area codes and packaging facilities; maintain conditions at growing area codes and packaging facilities in accordance with current regulations.

- Implementation period: January to June 2025.

- Implementing unit: People's Committees of districts, towns and cities.

1.2. Strengthen information and propaganda work

- Implementation content:

+ Inform, propagate and widely disseminate requirements on establishing codes for growing areas and packaging facilities so that people clearly understand and are responsible when registering codes for growing areas on agricultural products and agricultural packaging facilities.

+ Introduce and guide farmers on the regulations of importing countries and production and packaging processes for organizations and individuals who need to be granted growing area codes and packaging facilities in the province; prioritize organizations, individuals, cooperatives, and cooperative groups that build growing area codes combined with developing high-tech agriculture; build effective links in production and consumption of agricultural products with growing area codes.

- Implementation period: January to June 2025.

- Implementing unit: People's Committees of districts, towns and cities.

1.3. Periodic inspection and monitoring according to regulations for granted growing area codes and packaging facilities.

- Implementation content:

+ Regularly inspect and promptly request competent authorities to revoke codes of growing areas and packaging facilities that do not meet the conditions prescribed by the importing country.

+ Monitor the codes of growing areas and export packaging facilities. Monitoring frequency is once a year for growing area codes, twice a year for packaging facilities.

+ Conduct pre-harvest monitoring 3 months for each type of crop and packaged product.

- Implementation period: January to December 2025.

- Implementing unit: Department of Agriculture and Environment presides over and coordinates with departments, branches and localities to implement.

1.4. Standardization of data on growing area codes and packing facilities

- Implementation content:

+ Enter data on relevant information of the codes of growing areas and packaging facilities that have been granted and standardized into the provincial agricultural database system; at the same time, update the national database system on codes of growing areas and packaging facilities.

+ Support entities to register, create and integrate QR codes for products that have been granted growing area codes, serving the traceability of agricultural products.

- Implementation period: January to December 2025.

- Implementing unit: Department of Agriculture and Environment.

2. Food safety control in growing areas and packaging facilities

2.1. For growing areas

a) Carry out supervision to ensure food safety conditions according to the provisions of the Food Safety Law and regulations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

- Implementation content:

+ Check and monitor food safety and Cadmium before exporting.

+ Strictly monitor production log recording and product traceability.

- Implementation period: January to June 2025.

- Implementing unit: Department of Agriculture and Environment, People's Committees of Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh districts and Cai Lay town.

b) Check and determine cadmium content in durian growing areas to build a map of cadmium contamination distribution areas:

- Sampling for analysis: Take 115 soil samples, 115 leaf samples, 115 durian fruit samples in growing areas (not overlapping with previously sampled growing areas).

- Implementation location: Growing areas in Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh districts and Cai Lay town.

- Implementation period: From January to June 2025, soil samples, leaf samples taken 1 month before harvest, fruit samples taken during harvest.

- Implementing unit: Department of Agriculture and Environment, People's Committees of Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh districts and Cai Lay town.

2.2. For packaging facilities

a) Supervise and ensure food safety conditions at the processing and packaging facilities according to the provisions of the Food Safety Law and regulations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

- Implementation content:

+ Check and monitor food safety of export shipments. Record and update traceability records at the facility. Propose strict handling of cases of non-compliance or informal recording that leads to failure to trace food safety violations according to the provisions of the Law.

+ Inspect and supervise the use of chemicals to treat fruit at processing and packaging facilities according to the provisions of law. Propose handling of violations of using chemicals to treat fruit not in accordance with regulations.

- Implementation location: At packaging facilities in Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh districts and Cai Lay town.

- Implementation period: January to June 2025.

- Implementing unit: Department of Agriculture and Environment, People's Committees of Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh districts and Cai Lay town.

b) Take samples for analysis of Cadmium, Auramine O

- Quantity: Take 60 fruit samples, 60 chemical samples used in the packaging and preservation process at the facilities.

- Implementation location: In Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh districts and Cai Lay town.

- Implementation period: January to June 2025.

- Implementing unit: Department of Agriculture and Environment, People's Committees of Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh districts and Cai Lay town.

2.3. Building a map of distribution of areas contaminated with heavy metal cadmium

- Based on the results of soil sample analysis in growing areas, a map of cadmium contamination distribution areas in durian growing areas in the province was developed.

- Implementation time: In 2025.

- Implementing unit: Department of Agriculture and Environment.

2.4. Building pilot sites for solutions to overcome cadmium contamination in durian growing areas

Based on soil sample analysis in growing areas, 2 test sites were selected.

- Scale: Durian garden has an area of ​​0.3-0.5 ha, trees are 7-12 years old.

- Implementation content:

+ Develop solutions to overcome cadmium contamination in durian growing areas, specifically as follows:

++ Solution 1: Cultivate according to the Technical Process of Comprehensive Intensive Cultivation of Durian for the Southern Provinces of the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection, using fertilizers that do not contain or contain extremely low levels of cadmium.

++ Solution 2: Follow solution 1 combined with planting mint to absorb cadmium in the soil.

++ Solution 3: Follow solution 1 in combination with biological treatment to reduce the cadmium absorption capacity of durian trees.

++ Solution 4: Follow solution 1 combined with activated carbon treatment (Biochar) to reduce the cadmium absorption capacity of durian trees.

++ Solution 5: Follow solution 1 in combination with biological treatment and activated carbon (Biochar) to reduce the cadmium absorption capacity of durian trees.

+ Monitoring indicators:

+ Analyze cadmium content in soil, branches, leaves, and fruits before and after implementing the solution at 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, and 6 months to evaluate the effectiveness of cadmium remediation in soil, branches, leaves, and fruits.

+ Monitor soil pH before and after implementing the solution at 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months and 6 months.

- Implementation period: January to June 2025.

- Implementation location: In durian growing areas in Cai Be and Cai Lay districts.

- Implementing unit: Department of Agriculture and Environment, People's Committees of Cai Be and Cai Lay districts.

2.5. Perfecting the durian cultivation process for export

- Implementation content:

+ Fertilizer sampling: Based on the results of information collection from farmers in the growing area and agricultural material dealers in durian growing areas about fertilizer types. Collect 100 samples of base fertilizer, foliar fertilizer (not the same as previously analyzed fertilizers) to analyze cadmium content.

+ Review and adjust the technical process of durian cultivation, focusing on fertilization regime, especially recommending people to use base fertilizers and foliar fertilizers that do not contain or contain extremely low levels of cadmium.

- Implementation period: January to April 2025.

- Implementing unit: Department of Agriculture and Environment, People's Committees of Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh districts and Cai Lay town.

2.6. Training and guidance on safe care of durian trees and control of heavy metal cadmium residue

- Number of calls: 40 calls.

- Implementation content: Guidance on technical procedures for durian cultivation according to instructions, especially not using phosphate fertilizers containing cadmium content exceeding the permitted threshold; propaganda and dissemination of requirements of importing countries for durian; conditions for ensuring food safety in durian production.

- Location: In durian growing districts: Cai Be district (10 trips), Cai Lay district (15 trips), Chau Thanh district (5 trips) and Cai Lay town (10 trips).

- Implementation period: January to May 2025.

- Implementing unit: Department of Agriculture and Environment, People's Committees of Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh districts and Cai Lay town.

2.7. Agricultural materials quality management

- Implementation content: Strengthen inspection, examination and strict handling of violations in production and trade of poor quality fertilizers, pesticides, counterfeit goods,... using chemicals for improper treatment.

- Implementation period: January to June 2025.

- Implementing unit: Department of Agriculture and Environment.

2.8. Information and communication

- Implementation content:

+ Propagating and disseminating the requirements of importing countries for agricultural products to garden owners.

+ Propaganda on food safety conditions in production and trading of agricultural products and food.

+ Strengthen communication about the risk of heavy metal residues in the production process. Strengthen training and guidance on the use of agricultural materials, especially not using phosphate fertilizers containing cadmium levels exceeding the permitted threshold to reduce the source of heavy metal residues in the soil.

- Implementation period: January to June 2025.

- Implementing unit: People's Committees of Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh districts and Cai Lay town.

2.9. Conference to review and evaluate the results of implementing control and remediation of durian contaminated with heavy metal cadmium

- Quantity: 1 call.

- Implementation time: June 2025.

- Venue: Cai Lay District People's Committee Hall.

- Implementation content: Report on the assessment of the implementation results of the plan to control and overcome durian contaminated with heavy metal cadmium and future directions.

- Participants: Leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Environment and affiliated units (Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection, Department Inspectorate, Department of Quality and Rural Development).

+ Leaders of People's Committees of Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh districts and Cai Lay town.

+ Leaders and officers in charge of growing areas, packaging facilities, Department of Agriculture and Environment of Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh districts and Cai Lay town.

+ Leaders and officers in charge of growing areas, packaging facilities, Agricultural Service Centers of Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh districts, Cai Lay town.

- Representatives of durian growing areas and packaging facilities granted export codes in Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh districts, Cai Lay town and farmers participating in the growing areas.

III. IMPLEMENTATION COSTS

The source of economic career funding to perform irregular tasks is assigned to the Department of Agriculture and Environment and socialized capital.

IV. IMPLEMENTATION ORGANIZATION

1. Department of Agriculture and Environment

- Preside and coordinate with the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, relevant departments and branches and People's Committees of districts and towns growing durian to organize the implementation of this plan.

- Direct the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection to be the focal agency to advise on the issuance and management of crop growing area codes; guide, establish, inspect and supervise crop growing area codes and packaging facilities for export; guide district-level professional agencies in the issuance and management of crop growing area codes; regularly inspect and supervise annually in localities with crop growing area codes and packaging facilities for export.

Organize training on regulations and techniques for officials and managers of districts and cities in the work of establishing, inspecting and supervising codes of growing areas and packaging facilities serving export of organizations and individuals in the area.

- Provide guidance and training for organizations and individuals participating in the growing area in complying with regulations and standards on food safety and traceability in the province in the coming time.

- Coordinate with relevant departments and branches to establish a team to collect soil, branches, leaves, and fruits samples in growing areas and packaging facilities.

- Coordinate with localities, companies, and growing areas to implement a model of sustainable durian cultivation solutions to ensure food safety.

- Conduct inspections, checks and strictly handle violations in the production and trade of poor quality fertilizers and pesticides, counterfeit goods, food safety and hygiene conditions, and the use of chemicals for illegal processing.

2. Department of Finance

Coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Environment, relevant agencies and units to advise the Provincial People's Committee to arrange funding to implement this plan in the province in accordance with regulations.

3. Department of Science and Technology

- Coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Environment and relevant units to advise the Provincial People's Committee on implementing related scientific and technological tasks to serve the above plan.

- Coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Environment to transfer products, topics, and implement scientific and technological tasks related to cadmium control, ensuring food safety in the production and trading of fresh fruit for export in Tien Giang province.

- Preside over and coordinate with relevant units to deploy, apply and manage the product and goods traceability system in the province; focus on agricultural products and goods that are assigned codes for growing areas and packaging facilities.

4. Provincial Police

Strengthen inspection, detection and strict handling of cases of commercial fraud and falsification of documents in the use of codes for growing areas and export packaging facilities.

5. Department of Industry and Trade

Strengthen inspection of facilities producing and trading in fertilizers and pesticides, especially fertilizers containing heavy metals.

6. People's Committees of districts, towns and cities

Directing district-level professional agencies and commune-level People's Committees:

- Closely coordinate with the province's professional agencies to effectively implement propaganda, training, guidance, and issuance and management of growing area codes.

- Proactively arrange funding from district, town and city budgets to manage production and support production development in areas that have been granted growing area codes; support the formation of high-quality production growing areas to grant growing area codes to serve management work.

- Integrate programs, topics, projects,... to support organizations and individuals with equipment, materials,... applying digitalization in establishing, managing, and monitoring codes for growing areas and packaging facilities to ensure traceability: Transparent product information; identify risks, take timely measures to prevent potential risks that may arise during the production process causing unsafety; provide accurate information, proactively integrate and participate in the supply chain of goods.

- Guide organizations and individuals producing in the area to be granted codes for growing areas and packaging facilities serving export using chemicals (plant protection drugs, fertilizers, etc.) according to regulations of Vietnam and importing countries. Guide the production processes and technical standards for organizations and individuals with export needs to register codes for growing areas and packaging facilities to ensure safety and compliance with regulations of importing countries.

- Check and monitor the maintenance of conditions of growing areas and packaging facilities after being granted codes according to regulations, record and update traceability records at the facility, and carry out recalls in cases of non-compliance.

Particularly for the People's Committees of Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh districts and Cai Lay town, direct district-level professional agencies to:

- Guide and participate in taking samples of soil, branches, leaves, and fruits in growing areas and packaging facilities in the area.

- Coordinate the organization of training courses on sustainable farming processes; ensuring food safety in production, traceability; pest management processes.

- Coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to implement a model of solutions for durian cultivation in a sustainable direction, ensuring food safety.

7. Propose the Southern Fruit Institute, the Southern Plant Protection Center and the Provincial Durian Association

- Southern Fruit Institute: Support and research on methods of cadmium retention in soil, cadmium absorption mechanism of durian trees and soil improvement measures to reduce cadmium content in soil.

- Southern Plant Protection Center: Coordinate and support the implementation of a model to overcome durian growing areas contaminated with cadmium.

- Provincial Durian Association: Disseminate information to association members and farmers in durian growing areas to cultivate durian sustainably, ensuring food safety and quality; use and authorize growing area codes and packaging facility codes in accordance with reality and regulations.

Source: https://baoapbac.vn/kinh-te/202504/cap-va-quan-ly-ma-so-vung-trong-co-so-dong-goi-va-kiem-soat-an-toan-thuc-pham-xuat-khau-tren-dia-ban-tien-giang-1038610/