Strict process at a farm achieving Australian organic certification

Respecting the natural growth of crops

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From the garden – pond – barn farming model in Dong Nai, in 2017, realizing the potential as well as benefits to the environment and health, Viet Ha Organic Agriculture Company Limited (Viet Ha Oganic Farm) invested in a 5-hectare farm for organic farming in Binh Phuoc province and is the first unit in Hon Quan district (Binh Phuoc province) to bring organic products to consumers.

Viet Ha Farm (in An Khuong commune, Hon Quan district) is like a romantic garden, full of colors and scents of grass, flowers, and fruits. The gardens are planted in straight rows and clearly divided.

Ms. Ha Bich Quyen, CEO of Viet Ha Organic Farm, said that her fate for organic agriculture comes from her parents. "My parents are methodically trained and have deep expertise in the agricultural field, so from the first days of building a farm in Dong Nai, my family has made organic earthworm fertilizer to take care of the crops. Besides, when approaching the market, many customers have a demand for organic vegetables," she said.

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At that time, I met a Japanese partner who wanted to cooperate in developing some organic vegetables. This motivated me to be determined to completely convert to organic farming to get international certification, even though at that time I did not know what organic was," Ms. Quyen confided.

According to Ms. Quyen, doing organic agriculture is difficult in terms of everything from production management to experience, especially having to invest seriously and methodically from the beginning and have enough capital to bear the costs in the first years.

In the 2017–2022 period, Viet Ha Farm seriously implemented closed organic vegetable farming according to USDA and EU standards. Do absolutely not use toxic chemicals but instead use biological methods, such as setting sticky traps for insects or using natural enemies to manage gardens; using organic fertilizers according to the allowed list; pulling grass by hand by workers; recording and updating fully in the farming diary; not using genetically modified plant varieties; not using growth stimulants, etc.

"We cultivate from the viewpoint of respecting the natural growth of crops and preserving a peaceful environment, especially focusing on soil and water improvement to create an environment with biodiversity and intercopping crops and vegetables to create the most natural ecosystem as possible. That is a prerequisite and key condition for organic agriculture," Ms. Quyen said, adding that the unit also applies automatic irrigation systems and net house and membrane house systems to manage production and help improve productivity.

Achieving Australian organic certification

To achieve organic certification from the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA), Viet Ha Organic Agriculture Company Limited spent nearly 5 years converting production, with many ups and downs. However, with the persistence and determination to work to the end, along with the procedural and technical consulting support of Mekong Organics (Australia), in May 2022, Viet Ha Oganic Farm was granted converted organic certification by NASAA and re-evaluated and certified for the second time in August 2023.

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"After meeting all criteria, in September 2023, we were granted NASAA Certified Organic certification, and re-evaluation will be implemented every year," Ms. Quyen said. According to her, if organic agriculture is persistently done, the long-term benefits will be huge, aiming to develop sustainable agriculture. Particularly, organic agriculture helps spread building and preserving ecosystems such as land, water, air, creatures, and people.

Currently, although the price of organic products is quite high, they have outstanding advantages: high nutritional value, good for health, etc. In particular, as society develops, consumers become more and more knowledgeable, willing to learn, and have a demand for high-quality products, especially organic food. Thus, the organic food market in Vietnam will increasingly develop. This is an opportunity for units, cooperatives, and businesses to convert to organic farming.

Viet Ha Farm's 30 types of organic-certified leafy vegetables and tropical fruits, such as mustard greens, bok choy, amaranth, spinach, sweet leaf, okra, green beans, yardlong beans, figs, papaya, pineapple, jackfruit, etc., are now being consumed at clean food stores and supermarkets such as Lotte, Vinmart, KingFoods, and Organicfoodvn. On average, each month, the unit supplies about 6–8 tons of vegetables and fruits of all kinds to the market (depending on the season).

According to Ms. Ha, in order for organic products to enter supermarkets, they must go through very thorough inspections in terms of production process, cultivation management, full certification, and reasonable prices, creating trust for partners.

According to Ms. Ha, the organic vegetable market is a niche market, with prices 2.5–4 times higher than conventional vegetables. But when using organic vegetables, consumers can almost use them all because they have been cleanly pre-processed before packaging. On the other hand, the fiber content in organic vegetables is high; the vegetables do not retain much water, so they do not shrink when processed. 1 package of 300 grams of vegetables can be enough for two people to eat a meal.

However, to develop sustainably and achieve revenue, businesses must also promote many consumption channels as well as invest in deep processing to create added value for products.

"For example, we develop more dried rice pho and noodle, with a combination of rice and garden vegetables for export," Ms. Quyen said, adding that the company is expanding an additional 13 hectares of organic farming in Tay Ninh to grow a number of fruit trees to serve consumer needs.

In the last 5–6 years, organic agriculture has received attention from the Government, the State, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and localities, with many mechanisms and policies to encourage investment, development, and expansion of production, as well as promoting product business in domestic and export markets.

With these incentives, many Vietnamese producers have recently paid attention to, learned about, and engaged in this new field. Although there are still many difficulties, with the efforts and persistence of farmers, cooperatives, and businesses, units like Viet Ha Organic Farm have brought quality organic agricultural products to consumers. In particular, developing sustainable organic agriculture will create a good ecosystem and preserve the natural environment for future generations.

Mr. Tran Hai Ha, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hon Quan District, said that with a natural area of 66,000 hectares, of which agricultural land is about 50,000 hectares (accounting for about 80% of the total area), leaders of the province and district pay special attention and identify organic, high-tech production as the inevitable direction. The district has also issued an action program to develop high-tech agriculture and organic agriculture in Tan An, Tan Hung, and An Khuong communes.

As of now, in Hon Quan district, there have been many models of organic pepper, durian, and vegetable farming. Among them, the one standing out is Viet Ha Farm.