Tropentag, September 17 - 19, 2018 in Ghent "Global food security and food safety: The role of universities"

Implementation of IPM-Programme for Clean and Safe Rice in Mekong River Delta (Vietnam)

ThuyLoi University in Hanoi, Economics and Management, Vietnam

Abstract

Considering the current level of extensive international food trade, food safety has become a significant global issue. Hundreds of pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides and fungicides are among the most hazardous chemical compounds extensively applied in agriculture to increase food production. They are intended for destroying and controlling pests, weeds or plant diseases. Pesticide application is strictly regulated to protect consumers and the environment.
Ensuring food safety and further promoting agricultural exports are issues that Vietnam has in recent years been concerned about, because the facts: Vietnam is a traditional agricultural country and well-known export country for many agricultural commodities such as rice, pepper, coffee, cashew ... as well as seafood; in recent years many of Vietnam's agricultural products have not crossed the trade barriers of USA, EU and Japan due to food safety and pesticides residues. So Vietnam must change its current agricultural practices and focus on ecological agriculture, but firstly in the next 5-10 years Vietnam has to reduce the amount of chemical fertilisers and pesticides as well as to implement different agricultural policies.
In 2016 the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development launched a programme "Green connection towards a clean agriculture" to strengthen the linkages between various players in the agricultural production chain to improve the competitiveness of and add value to farm produce, enabling them to enter the international market. In addition, the following measurements are necessary: Reduction of overuse of fertiliser, pesticide and herbicide; Reform the land law and lift the farmland limits to push up land accumulation and pave the way for large-scale production; Establishment of cooperative (voluntary participation of small farmers). The Government on February 2 issued Decree No. 15/2018/ND-CP replacing Decree No. 38/2012/ND-CP guiding the implementation of the Law on Food Safety.
In this paper the author will report the results of 2-year implementation of IPM programm in six provinces of Mekong River Delta as well as integrate this important problem in training at university.

Keywords: Food safety, IPM programm, pesticide residues

Contact Address: Trung Dung Nguyen, ThuyLoi University in Hanoi, Economics and Management, 175 Tay Son Str., Dong Da district, 10000 Ha Noi, Vietnam, e-mail: dzung_nguyen_ktcstlu.edu.vn