Circular No. 49/2013/TT-BNNPTNT guiding criteria for determining concentrated crop production areas meeting food safety conditions

CIRCULAR

Guidelines for criteria to determine concentrated crop production areas meeting food safety conditions

đáp ứng điều kiện an toàn thực phẩm

Pursuant to Decree No. 01/2008/NĐ-CP dated January 3, 2008 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; Decree No. 75/2009/NĐ-CP dated September 10, 2009 of the Government amending Article 3 of Decree No. 01/2008/NĐ-CP dated January 3, 2008 of the Government;

Pursuant to Decision No. 01/2012/QĐ-TTg dated January 9, 2012 of the Prime Minister on certain policies to support the application of Good Agricultural Practices in agriculture, forestry, and aquaculture;

At the proposal of the Director of the Plant Cultivation Department;

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development issues guidelines for criteria to determine concentrated crop production areas meeting food safety conditions.

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

These guidelines provide criteria to determine concentrated crop production areas meeting food safety conditions for implementing projects applying VietGAP for products specified in Clause 1, Article 2 of Circular No. 53/2012/TT-BNNPTNT dated October 26, 2012 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development promulgating the list of agricultural and aquatic products supported under Decision No. 01/2012/QĐ-TTg dated January 9, 2012 of the Prime Minister on certain policies to support the application of Good Agricultural Practices in agriculture, forestry, and aquaculture (hereinafter referred to as Circular No. 53/2012/TT-BNNPTNT).

Article 2. Applicability

Organizations and individuals involved in planning, investing in infrastructure for concentrated crop production areas meeting food safety conditions for implementing projects applying VietGAP.

Chapter II

CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING CONCENTRATED CROP PRODUCTION AREAS

MEETS FOOD SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

Article 3. Criteria for determining concentrated crop production areas

Concentrated crop production areas meeting food safety conditions must meet the following criteria:

1. Comply with local agricultural development plans and be approved by the People's Committee of the province.

2. The area of concentrated crop production must be appropriate for each type of crop and specific conditions of each locality as prescribed by the People's Committee of the province.

3. Specialized production of one product specified in Clause 1, Article 2 of Circular No. 53/2012/TT-BNNPTNT; for vegetable or rice production areas, crop rotation with short-term crops may be allowed depending on specific conditions.

4. Not be contaminated with soil, water, or air beyond permissible levels affecting the quality of agricultural products; comply with the permissible limits of heavy metals in agricultural soils as stipulated in QCVN 03: 2008/BTNMT dated July 18, 2008 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the permissible limits of some heavy metals and harmful microorganisms in irrigation water for crop production as stipulated in the Appendix attached hereto.

5. Meet the infrastructure criteria for concentrated production areas as prescribed in Article 4 of this Circular.

Article 4. Infrastructure criteria for concentrated production areas

1. Transportation system

The transportation system to the production area, within the area, and to the product collection point must be convenient; the level and scale of construction works must be suitable for the production requirements and investment of the area.

2. Irrigation system

a) For concentrated vegetable and paddy production areas: There must be an active irrigation and drainage system; the level and scale of construction works must be suitable for the production requirements and investment of the area;

b) For concentrated fruit, tea, coffee, and pepper production areas: There must be an active irrigation and drainage system or utilization of natural water sources such as groundwater, rainwater, pond, river, stream water to meet the production requirements of the area;

c) For concentrated production areas affected by floods, tidal currents, and saltwater intrusion: There must be a dike, embankment, and sluice system to ensure flood protection, saltwater exclusion, and demarcation of freshwater, brackish water, and seawater zones to meet the production requirements of the area.

3. Electrical System

The power supply system must have sufficient capacity, stability, and safety, suitable for specific conditions, and meet the production requirements of the area.

4. Waste collection system

One of two methods for collecting waste and packaging from pesticide use may be applied:

a) Method one: Construct a storage tank at a convenient location to collect pesticide containers; the storage tank must be solidly built with a bottom and roof cover and not placed in low-lying areas; the number and size of storage tanks depend on the scale of production and the extent of pesticide use;

b) Method two: Use sealed containers for waste and packaging that prevent waste dispersion; the number and size of containers must be appropriate for the scale of production and the extent of pesticide use in the area.

Chapter III

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 5. Allocation of Responsibilities

1. Responsibilities of the People's Committee at the provincial level

a) Approving the planning to determine concentrated crop production areas meeting food safety conditions within the local management scope;

b) Directing the implementation of this Circular at the local level.

2. Responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

a) Building and submitting to the People's Committee at the provincial level the planning to determine concentrated crop production areas meeting food safety conditions within the managed area;

b) Implementing this Circular; quarterly reporting on the implementation results to the People's Committee at the provincial level and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

3. Responsibilities of units under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

a) The Crop Cultivation Department shall be responsible for guiding, monitoring, inspecting, and compiling reports to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the implementation of this Circular;

b) Units under the Ministry, according to their assigned functions and tasks, shall be responsible for participating in guiding and inspecting the implementation of this Circular.

Article 6. Implementation Provisions

1. This Circular takes effect from January 2, 2014.

2. This Circular replaces Circular No. 59/2009/TT-BNNPTNT dated September 9, 2009, issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development guiding the implementation of certain Articles of Decision No. 107/2008/QĐ-TTg dated July 30, 2008, of the Prime Minister regarding certain support policies for developing safe vegetable, fruit, and tea production and consumption until 2015.

3. In the course of implementation, if there are difficulties or obstacles, agencies, organizations, and individuals are requested to reflect them to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for timely research and resolution./.