For the first time ever, a European-standard organic dairy farm was established in Vietnam by Vinamilk. The cow feed here consists of grass imported from Australia, exclusively for pasturing. This kind of grass can grow well without any pesticides or fertilizer. Livestock waste is processed and used as manure. The farm has been recognized to meet European organic standards by the Control Union, a global network of inspection operations.
“Soil, water and atmosphere are the most important factors. Particularly, the soil here must be cleansed based on EU standards. We've had to spend 3 years cleaning the land”, Nguyen Dac Cuong, Director of Organic Farm, Vinamilk said.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, most businesses recognized as organic are located in the south of Vietnam. The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development recently said that Vietnam needs a domestic organization for organic certification.
“An organic agriculture organization from Germany has committed to supporting Vietnamese businesses in enhancing capabilities, training and establishing organic certification organizations”, Nguyen Thanh Nam - Deputy Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development – said.
“Vietnam is following the trend of organic farming. Though the country is a bit behind compared to other countries, we believe this field will see a boom in the time to come”, said Trinh Quoc Dung - Executive Director of Raw-Material Development, Vinamilk.
At Vinamilk's organic dairy farm, clean agricultural production is taking shape in Vietnam. In addition to dairy production, organic farming models for rice, fruits, and vegetables are being established. It is now the time for Vietnam to build sufficient policies and standards for organic agriculture.
