JICA provides 1.2 billion yen to ensure the safety of agricultural and aquatic products in Vietnam.

DNHN - The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Vietnam and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held a ceremony on July 20 to hand over donated equipment and to inaugurate the testing laboratory.

Consequently, the Japanese Government has provided Vietnam with a large quantity of modern equipment to construct a control system to ensure food safety for agro-forestry-fishery products, as well as guidance on management and operation, with a total value of up to 1.2 billion yen (approximately USD 10.9 million at the time the grant agreement was signed). This is a capital source within the context of the Grant Project "Strengthening the Centre for Testing, Verification, and Consulting on Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality (RETAQ)'s testing capacity."

During 2019-2023, the Government of Japan has provided the Centre for Testing, Verification, and Consulting on Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality (RETAQ) with numerous modern pieces of equipment to construct a control system to guarantee the safety of agro-forestry-fishery products through the Project.

In addition, JICA directs the operation management to ensure that the equipment at the RETAQ Centre - an infrastructure built and financed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with government funds - is utilised effectively.

In continuation of the aforementioned grant project, JICA will implement the Technical Cooperation Project "Strengthening the capacity of testing, verifying, and consulting food quality and safety contributing to sustainable agricultural development" to improve the quality of human resources and capacity of RETAQ Centre, as well as the testing capacity of agro-forestry-fishery food safety testing laboratories in Vietnam.

Vietnam, a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) since 2007, is responsible for implementing WTO agreements and agreements, including the SPS Agreement (Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures) to ensure the health of people and domestic animals and to remove technical barriers to exported agro-forestry-fishery products.

It is anticipated that the RETAQ Centre will strengthen its capacity for testing, verifying, and consulting on food quality and safety by international standards, thereby contributing to the improvement of the quality and safety of agricultural and aquatic products in Vietnam, satisfying domestic demand, and promoting exports.

Ngoc Phi (TH)