Jeffrey | 17/03/2021
What is LocalGAP? LocalGAP is a transition period for businesses and manufacturers to switch to GlobalGAP ”. This is a tool to support the improvement of the quality of domestic agricultural products, creating a springboard towards sustainable integration into the global market.
What is the LocalGAP standard?
What is VietGAP and GlobalGAP? VietGAP - The only agricultural practice today that farmers, especially small-scale farmers in Vietnam, can choose to prove that their produce is safe. VietGAP standards, promulgated by relevant departments and agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, are recognized throughout Vietnam, covering the areas of cultivation, livestock and fisheries.
GlobalGAP - Global Good Agricultural Practice, is a set of standards (set of technical measures) for good agricultural practices in production, harvesting and post-harvest handling. The standards are designed to be applied voluntarily to agricultural production (cultivation, animal husbandry, and fisheries) globally. VietGAP and GlobalGAP are both certification standards, which share the same goal of ensuring food safety in agricultural production. However, VietGAP's need-based approach is widely recognized in Vietnam. GlobalGAP is based on the needs of international retailers (understood as the market), widely recognized in many countries around the world (more than 135 countries).
GlobalGAP certification is required by the majority of importers and international retailers for agricultural and aquatic products in the export value chain. With nearly 300 requests related to four main issues: food safety; employees' health and well-being; environmental protection and health - animal welfare (for livestock and aquaculture), so it is almost only farms with large-scale and progressive production capacity that can successfully apply the standard. GlobalGAP.
What is LocalGAP?
LocalGAP is a cooperation program between the Association of High Quality Vietnamese Goods Enterprises (DN.HVNCLC) and GlobalGAP to facilitate small farmers, groups accounting for more than 70% of Vietnam's agricultural structure, can participate. into the market. Since 2016, the association of SMEs has started the first discussion with the representatives of GlobalGAP in Cologne (Germany), on the roadmap for small agricultural producers in Vietnam to participate in the control standard system. international receipt.
In 2018, within the framework of the Logistica fruit and vegetable fair in Berlin (Germany), representatives of the Association of Vietnamese SMEs worked with Ms. Christi Venter, senior expert of GlobalGAP on the first LocalGAP program applied to the field. crop. A similar program for the livestock and aquaculture sectors is expected to be completed in 2019. LocalGAP is divided into two levels: basic and transitional with a focus on food safety, including traceability. Accordingly, ensuring food safety is based on risk assessments and the establishment of appropriate control measures. The requirements related to the environment, health and well-being of workers are reduced to the lowest level to suit the capacity of smallholder farmers.
Participating in LocalGAP certification, farmer information will be updated on the database of GlobalGAP. The DN.HVNCLC side is completing the final procedures with GlobalGAP to implement the LocalGAP certification program, by the end of the first quarter of 2019 it can start. Vietnamese version of LocalGAP is available, interested farmers can contact directly with project management board of HVNCLC - Food Industry Integration Standard for documents. Thus, from 2019, besides VietGAP certification, farmers can choose LocalGAP certification as a guarantee for safe agricultural products. With the global reputation of GlobalGAP, the LocalGAP program will upgrade the production capacity of Vietnamese farmers, as well as grant a "visa" to the integrated market of Vietnamese agricultural products.