Smart use of pesticides plays an important role in modern agriculture

Smart use of pesticides plays an important role in promote modern agriculture

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc recently called for the Vietnamese agricultural sector to become one of the 15 most developed agricultures in the world in just ten years.

The PM emphasised that more innovation is needed to generate new drivers for growth to ensure macroeconomic stability.

Unleashing the possibilities of modern agriculture to support sustainable and inclusive development requires enormous investment, collaboration, and a stable policy and regulatory environment. All three factors are critical when Vietnam harnesses cutting-edge technology to accelerate its development.

Over the recent decades, more and more exciting new technology has been reaching the hands of farmers. More people have access to safe, quality food than ever before because farmers now have access to technology developed over the years.

To date, crop protection tools, such as pesticides, play a critical role in producing more food with fewer resources. Without these tools, more than half of the world’s crops would be lost to insects, diseases, and weeds, leading to enormous economic and environmental damage.

To increase the competitiveness of Vietnamese farmers as well as to ensure the future investment in innovation, Vietnamese farmers should be encouraged to have access to safe crop protection products supported by high-quality training and education. This will ensure that farmers continue to produce safe, affordable, and nutritious food for the community and export.

Against this backdrop, firms and organisations operating in the agricultural sectors call on the government to ensure that crop protection tools are properly assessed through a consistent, scientifically rigorous process in line with internationally-accepted methods and standards.

Such assessments need to be conducted by scientific experts and a suitable timeline should apply to allow for a thorough review. This is consistent with the direction recently set by the prime minister when he called for the removal of unnecessary government procedures that can stifle production and trade while reinforcing the need for transparency.

The industry takes its responsibilities seriously and offers its commitment and support to help the government achieve its food safety objectives. This includes continuing to research alternative natural products, promoting the responsible use of crop protection products in the Vietnamese agricultural sector, as well as providing a scientific and international standards-based approach towards achieving the government’s objective of 30 per cent reduction of product registrations by 2021 without sacrificing the sustainability and competitiveness of the Vietnamese agriculture. Also, it is important that proper police controls are put in place to prevent illegal imports to Vietnam.

“CropLife supports and encourages the government to ensure that crop protection tools are properly assessed through a consistent, scientifically rigorous process in line with internationally accepted methods and standards. Such assessments need to be conducted by scientific experts and a suitable timeline should be applied for a thorough review,” a representative of CropLife said.

CropLife and member companies will continue to introduce cutting-edge technologies to Vietnamese farmers, enabling and empowering them through technologies, such as safe and effective crop protection products, to produce more food, use less input resources, achieve better lives, and help propel the national economy.

Along with the introduction of new advanced technology and farming solutions, CropLife maintains a committed partnership with the Vietnamese government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to continue implement stewardship programmes, where they continue to promote the responsible use of crop protection products to the Vietnamese agricultural sector.