Hanoi (VNA) – Traceability of agricultural products is being strengthened from production to export, helping make supply chains more transparent, improve product quality and enable Vietnamese farm produce to meet increasingly demanding market requirements.

Rolled out nationwide on July 1, the agricultural product traceability system operated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has integrated data on more than 18,500 products from 200 businesses in 24 out of 34 provinces and cities.

The system serves as a shared digital platform for receiving, integrating, sharing, and using traceability data. It operates on the principle of “one-time declaration, multiple uses” and is interconnected with local and business systems, without creating additional administrative procedures, export conditions or requirements to use specific technologies.

The system supports state management, product traceability, quality and food safety assurance while meeting the requirements of domestic and export markets.

Many businesses and cooperatives said the system has helped make production more transparent, facilitate data management and strengthen customer confidence.

Dao Van Toan, Deputy Director of Hao Dat Tea Cooperative in northern Thai Nguyen province, said the system is particularly useful in making the entire production process transparent, from raw material production areas and cultivation to harvesting, processing and packaging.

With information stored on the platform, businesses can manage their production data more efficiently while customers have a clearer basis for verifying product origins, he said.

Businesses proposed simplifying data-entry procedures, improving mobile-phone accessibility and connecting the platform with existing management software. They also called for regular training and technical support.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Nguyen Dinh Tho, Deputy Director of the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Agriculture and Environment under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, said the ministry and local authorities will continue supporting farmers and businesses in promoting traceability.

He noted that traceability does not necessarily require complicated technology and can be carried out using a smartphone and information technology and Internet of Things applications.

The key is to ensure that data are accurate, complete, clean and continuously updated while enabling shared use and connectivity with the central system, Tho said./.