The above comment was made by Dr. Ngo Xuan Nam - Deputy Director of the Vietnam SPS Office - at the Conference on disseminating SPS regulations in the EVFTA and RCEP Agreements on August 2.

The conference was organized by the Vietnam SPS Office, Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper, and Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety.

Chili, okra... at risk of not being able to enter the EU

According to Mr. Nam, in the first 6 months of this year, Vietnam recorded an unusual increase in the number of warnings from the EU, with a total of 57 warnings, an increase of more than 80% compared to the same period in 2023 (31 warnings). In particular, Ho Chi Minh City had a large proportion with 23/57 warnings.

This increase has led to the EU increasing the frequency of border checks on agricultural exports from Vietnam. Currently, four agricultural products are subject to stricter controls, including dragon fruit (30%), chili (50%), okra (50%) and durian (10%).

"The EU does not regulate the volume of goods, so sometimes even a few dozen kilos of chili peppers exported are inspected and warned of violations. With the group of goods warned at a high level, if not promptly corrected and improved, the EU may not allow them to be imported. We cannot be subjective," Mr. Nam warned.

Meanwhile, from a business perspective, Ms. Hoang Thi Lien - President of the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association - said the industry also faces some difficulties in quality control.

Specifically, the three groups of indicators that importing countries set out on residues, microorganisms and heavy metals, currently the residue and microorganisms issues have improved well, but heavy metals are still encountered, typically cadmium in cinnamon.

"Currently, we are confused about which department or unit to report to when there is a problem with warnings about the quality of exported goods from other countries. Therefore, we request the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to have more regulations and coordination mechanisms to provide information in order to promptly handle and support businesses," Ms. Lien emphasized.

Technical barriers are increasingly difficult, cannot be relaxed

Regarding the fruit and vegetable group, Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen - General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association - confirmed that although the export value reached a record, the industry has also received warnings of violations from importing countries in the past 6 months because the technical barriers that countries have erected are increasingly difficult. Therefore, exports have increased but violations are still numerous.

At the conference, some experts said that the situation of combining many items to fill export containers and taking goods from small retail sources makes Vietnamese businesses very susceptible to regulations on origin and food safety in demanding markets such as the EU, Japan, etc.

Speaking at the conference, Mr. Le Thanh Hoa - Director of the Vietnam SPS Office - assessed that the export awareness of enterprises is sometimes inadequate and does not meet export standards. The production and processing processes and technologies of enterprises and people in many stages are not 100% controlled.

Mr. Hoa gave examples of irrigation water sources, soil, watering cans... all of which can pose a risk of contamination, pesticide residues, and heavy metals.

"We cannot declare incorrectly because the importer only needs one test to determine all the drugs used. Therefore, the agricultural sector is paying close attention to this issue. Enterprises themselves must be more strict, they cannot be careless forever," Mr. Hoa emphasized.