Enhancing transparency in agricultural supply chains through traceability

As agricultural production in Viet Nam remains largely small-scale and fragmented, with products circulating through multiple intermediary stages, the standardisation of a traceability system is expected to address fundamental challenges related to quality, market trust, and the competitiveness of Vietnamese agricultural products.

The Viet Nam Agricultural Product Traceability System comprises three main components: a traceability system for consumers, citizens, and enterprises; a system for solution providers to update origin information; and a system for state management agencies to monitor and trace products. According to the roadmap, from January 1, 2026, to June 30, 2026, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will pilot traceability for durian. From July 1, 2026, the system will be expanded to other essential agricultural product groups. From July 1, 2027, all domestically consumed and exported agricultural products will be subject to traceability, while pilot implementation will also be carried out for imported goods. This will serve as a digital platform for recording, managing, and retrieving information on agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products throughout the processes of production, processing, transportation, and circulation on the market.

Le Thi Bao Tram, Director of the 360 High-Tech Application Agricultural Cooperative in Gia Lai Province, said that piloting agricultural product traceability will establish a new operational standard starting from the production stage. When all information — from seeds and agricultural inputs to harvesting — is digitised and verified, growers are compelled to comply with production processes. This not only reflects the application of technology, but, more importantly, helps farmers gradually regard data as an integral part of agricultural products. For passion fruit, a product that is expected to see strong growth in both production and exports in the coming period, traceability is a mandatory requirement. This, in turn, promotes consumption based on transparent “profiles” of each product, helping to mitigate the impacts of market fluctuations.

According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, nationwide there are currently 9,336 planting area codes and 1,379 packing facility codes serving the export of fresh fruits. Compared with the total fruit cultivation area, this figure remains quite modest, especially as most importing markets regard traceability as a “passport” for agricultural products. For example, durian, although a key product of Dak Lak Province, has only granted codes to 28 out of 102 communes, with 269 planting areas, covering a total area of more than 7,400 hectares — accounting for just 28% of the total harvested area. This creates a “bottleneck” for traceability, leading to risks of exported agricultural products being warned for violations or returned.

Truong Van Hieu, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ea Knuec Commune (Dak Lak Province), noted that the commune currently has 21 planting area codes and nine durian packing facilities for export. Periodic monitoring has shown that some representatives of planting areas have not fully and properly fulfilled their responsibilities and obligations as managing entities towards farming households. In addition, many farmers do not fully understand their rights and responsibilities when participating in planting areas, resulting in incomplete production logbooks, failure to update electronic data, and non-compliance with uniform production processes. In this context, the establishment of an agricultural product traceability system will serve as a “lever” to help farmers change production methods and strengthen their linkage with enterprises and markets.

For exporting enterprises, Ngo Tuong Vy, General Director of Chanh Thu Fruit Import-Export Group Joint Stock Company, affirmed that a traceability platform will significantly reduce risks in international transactions. Through these indicators, enterprises can proactively meet the requirements of importing partners rather than reactively addressing incidents on a shipment-by-shipment basis.

This system also provides a foundation for enhancing accountability at each stage and among all stakeholders participating in the supply chain, helping to prevent “breakdowns of trust” when violations occur. At the same time, it serves as a modern management tool contributing to the prevention of trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and substandard products, and acts as a driving force for the development of a transparent and responsible agricultural production sector.