BACKGROUND
Today, (international) consumers are pushing for safer food and quality management systems throughout the agriculture supply chain and the government is encouraging the farmers to implement the GlobalGAP (Good Agricultural Practices) standards. That’s a challenge, but also an opportunity from which farmers can benefit. Ensuring compliance of production at the primary level requires expert knowledge and thorough understanding of agricultural practices. However, there is almost no local inspector who is qualified to inspect and certify the GlobalGAP requirements in Vietnam. All the certification bodies in Vietnam have to appoint international experts to conduct the tasks which leads to very high inspection fees for the farmers.
CoopEnable aims to create a successful model for cooperative development that can be replicated and used as a benchmark in other regions of Vietnam by providing its expert knowledge in the field of GlobalGAP. Focus is on management capability, agricutural good practices and quality standards, systematic operation and traceability.
Business Impacts:
1. Improved knowledge about SGS’s certification services
2. Provide skilled resources to SGS’s Customers
3. Certified farmers could be potential customers
Developmental Impacts:
1. Local farmers able to meet more international customers’ requirements for certified products
2. Provide certified agriculture products to the market
3. Socio-economic benefits for the farming communities
OBJECTIVE
Improve and strengthen the rice farmers’ competitiveness in the Mekong Delta by applying an innovative farmer cooperative model and adopting food safety standards according to GlobalGAP. Four main areas need to be improved in order to become sustainable:
1. Global Food Safety Standard - GlobalGAP
2. Agricultural Cooperatives Development Training Program
3. Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence
4. Transparency-One: Supply Chain Visibility
