Late afternoon of June 29, 2023, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; The European Union Delegation to Vietnam and IDH jointly organized the conference “Production and supply of agricultural products that do not cause deforestation, according to European Union regulations”.

The conference was co-chaired by Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan and Ms Florika Fink-Hooijer, Director General of the Environment Department of the European Commission (EC), with the participation of Mr Giorgio Aliberti, Ambassador Delegated of the European Union to Vietnam more than 100 delegates, including the provincial governments of the Central Highlands, European Union (EU) member countries, corporations, corporations, associations and companies in the coffee industry, as well as domestic and international development organizations.

Vietnamese farmers will not cut down the forest for agriculture

Florika Fink-Hooijer – Director-General of the Environment Department of the European Commission (EC) said that on May 16, 2023, the European Parliament passed the European Anti-Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). This regulation will come into force on December 12, 2024, giving countries 18 to 24 months to prepare for implementation proposals.

“According to this regulation, 100% of some agricultural products of Vietnam, especially coffee, when imported into the European market, require location information (GPS) on each garden, based on which a confirmation of the risk of deforestation is made by remote sensing monitoring systems,” emphasized Ms. Florika Fink- hooijer

According to Florika Fink-Hooijer, 90% of global deforestation is caused by agriculture. As a large consumer market, the European Union is aware of its important role in this regard. For this reason, the EU recently adopted an EU regulation to combat deforestation. Due diligence and traceability requirements are applied strictly and without discrimination to all products involved.

Ms. Florika Fink-Hooijer said that wood and wood products, coffee and rubber are Vietnam’s main export sectors affected by the application of this regulation. More than 2.3 billion euros of Vietnamese products exported to Europe were mainly coffee products (47.5%); wood (35.2%) and rubber (17.1%).

“The EU strives to support Vietnam in its sustainable development. By combining the strengths of both sides, the EU and Vietnam are working together to address environmental challenges more effectively, thereby contributing to the prosperity of the Vietnamese people and preserving the country’s unique natural heritage,” affirmed Ms Florika Fink-Hooijer.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mr Le Minh Hoan stressed: “When the regulation is expected to come into effect in December 2024, industry supply chains will face many challenges to comply with the EUDR, particularly in relation to location data, traceability and Monitoring Systems.”, Response Against Deforestation”.

“We have always been committed to preserving a green planet and taking responsibility for the 100 million people of Vietnam. Today’s generation does not take away what is possible for reasons of survival. New EU rules will help us. I reaffirm my responsibility to the world.” “Green growth is an attitude, not a slogan,” stressed Minister Le Minh Hoan.

At the conference, Minister Le Minh Hoan proposed that the EU should launch a program to support the Vietnamese agricultural sector value chains affected by this regulation, especially small players, to improve capacity. In addition, it is proposed that the EU share good experiences on models to support small players to comply with EUDR regulations and calls on the EU to support the development and implementation of the Green Growth Project for Vietnam’s coffee industry.

NATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR EUDR RESPONSE

At the conference, Mr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, Director General of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, presented the National Action Plan Framework for Vietnam’s Agricultural Sector to Fulfill the EUDR. Including the stages of building a public-private partnership framework; propaganda and advocacy; providing technical solutions; establishment of a dialogue channel; mobilization of resources.

The first task is to set up public-private partnership groups for EUDR affected sectors and implement public-private partnership activities. Technical guidelines are then developed and the EUDR regulations are disseminated and communicated to managing authorities at all levels and stakeholders in the industry value chains.

With technical solutions, it is necessary to build and recognize a national database on planting areas; Develop mechanisms for sharing and responding to information. Then develop and implement traceability, and develop and implement a mechanism to strengthen forest protection and forest surveillance, and strengthen community patrol/surveillance to protect forests. At the same time, development and implementation of sustainable models for the transformation of livelihoods in risk areas.

In addition, a regular dialogue channel is being set up with the EU, in which information is regularly compiled and exchanged. Another important issue is mobilizing financial and technical support from international organizations and the private sector to help industry value chains adapt to EUDR.

Ms. Tran Quynh Chi, Regional Director of Asian Landscape, IDH, reiterated the important role of public-private partnership in implementing EUDR response solutions in Vietnam.

“Vietnam’s agriculture in general and the coffee industry in particular have had a basis of multi-party cooperation to promote sustainable development for many years. However, the introduction of the EUDR regulation will provide an important impetus. To bring about a fundamental change for the entire industry.” towards transparency and sustainability in order to meet the diverse demands of the market and buyers, such as: B. No deforestation, low emissions and household livelihood,” Ms. Chi emphasized, affirming, “IDH will continue to call on interested domestic and foreign companies and organizations to participate and contribute to the action program, thereby making important impacts on all three Aspects are achieved: responsible production, protection of resources and social security.

At the conference, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, representatives of the EC and related agencies signed a memorandum of understanding to help Vietnam’s coffee industry reduce emissions, not cause deforestation or forest degradation, and secure farmers’ livelihoods.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also met with representatives from five central highland provinces (Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Lam Dong), the Vietnam Cocoa Coffee Association (VICOFA), the IDH Organization and the Koninklijke Douwe Egberts BV (KDE). ) of the Netherlands has signed a memorandum of understanding to work together and share resources to support the development of production areas that do not cause deforestation and forest degradation and enable sustainable production. With the aim of conserving resources and ensuring local social security.

The goal is to build a large-scale, sustainable coffee supply chain that does not cause deforestation and forest degradation, responding to market and European Union demands in the period 2023-2030.