To "open the door" to Europe, Vietnamese coffee must protect the environment.

DNHN - European customers increasingly prefer Vietnamese coffee. However, the importation of coffee must adhere to stringent environmental protection standards.

On June 29 in Hanoi, a significant conference entitled "Producing and supplying coffee without causing deforestation according to European Union regulations" was held. This event is organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the EU Delegation to Vietnam and IDH to share information on the new EU regulation on non-hazardous forest products (EUDR).

The new EU regulation was approved by the European Parliament on 16 May 2023, and its implementation is anticipated to begin in December 2024. Under this regulation, agricultural products imported into Europe, particularly coffee, must provide detailed information on their origin and confirm that their use of the system does not result in deforestation. remote sensing surveillance.

According to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan, the application of EUDR regulations will have a direct impact on the supply chain components of the wood and wood products, rubber, and coffee industries. To comply with EUDR regulations, these supply chains will face numerous obstacles, particularly in terms of data collection, traceability, monitoring systems, and anti-deforestation response.

Minister Le Minh Hoan emphasized that compliance with EUDR regulations not only satisfies the requirements for exporting key products to the EU market, but also provides opportunities to advance Vietnam's agricultural development towards transparency, responsibility, sustainability, and green growth.

The new EU regulation, according to Florika Fink-Hooijer, Director-General of the European Commission's Environment Department, is intended to combat deforestation. Therefore, the audit and traceability requirements will be rigorously and uniformly applied to all involved products.

Director of the Department of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, stated that Vietnam will implement a national action plan for the coffee industry to meet EUDR requirements.

This action plan consists of five major components: establishing a public-private partnership framework for sectors affected by EUDR; propagandizing and mobilizing management agencies and components in the industry value chain; developing technical solutions related to the national database on coffee growing areas, traceability, monitoring, and forest protection; establishing a regular dialogue channel with the EU and its member states on EUDR; and mobilizing resources to support the industry value chain.

P.V (t/h)