Nam Viet Cooperative in Cu Chi District whose mushroom farm spreads across 4.000m² of land was certified for organic farming according to national standards.
Besides soil improvers, they have been utilizing agricultural covering nets for protection of their products from environmental impacts. Their products include abalone mushrooms, lingzhi mushrooms and various vegetables.
Not many organic farmers like them are able to get their methods certified, however, as the costs for certifications in Vietnam are pretty high.
With an area of about 1,000 hectares achieving international organic certification, Mr. Nguyen Lam Vien, Chairman of the Board of Vinamit Company, acknowledged that in principle, organic products must be completely natural to receive sunlight, wind and fog for high herbal properties.
Theoretically speaking, produces must receive natural sunlight, rain and moisture to gain high herbal properties and be deemed organic, said COB of Vinamit Company whose 1,000ha farm received international organic certifications.
Applying bio-treatment techniques for wastes from cultivation and husbandry will essentially establish ecological balance and protect the agricultural environment. Vegetable produces are processed with sterilized water, treated against microorganisms, processed by centrifuges and packaged as strictly clean products.
Thanks to hi-tech investment, Everyday Organic in Nha Be District gained organic certifications according to EU, USDA and JAS standards. They met all 256 chemical criteria by transforming their alkaline soiled land into natural soil in 3 years.
Many organic farms are still struggling with administrative roadblocks as they pertain to other sectors such as construction or environment. According to experts, permission to build specialized works on agricultural land to serve agricultural production is legally unprecedented in Vietnam, and therefore lacks formal regulations.
This makes it difficult to license the construction of a completely modern farm especially structures for preliminary processing, since this stage directly affect the quality and safety of food products.
