Organic agriculture is growing and organic products become an indispensable need for many consumers in Vietnam. However, in order for organic agricultural products not to be equated with conventional agricultural products, it is necessary to control them by clear criteria.

Mrs. Tran Thi Loan, Deputy Director of the Center for Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Institute of Agricultural Planning and Design, said that in general, the scale of organic agricultural production in Vietnam is only a small model, small-scale, no concentrated areas, products in single form and etc.

At present, Vietnam has a common standard for organic production, processing and labeling; organic farming, husbandry and some products, such as rice, tea, milk, shrimp; but there are no standards for products: seafood, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, vegetables, fruits, coffee, organic pepper.

In addition, Vietnam does not have a list of agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers, pesticides, animal feed allowed to be used in organic agricultural production.

Certification of organic products in Vietnam has 3 forms of certification: international standard certification, PGS certification, TCVN certification. Vietnam has 50 USDA-certified businesses with many products, such as tea, cashews, coconut, artiso and etc.; 18 enterprises were certified according to USDA - NOP standards and 12 enterprises were certified according to EC standard 834/2007.

Along with that, Mr. Olivier Catrou, National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO), French Ministry of Agriculture recommends an organic agricultural production process so that farmers can produce in large quantities.

Farmers can produce in the right process but if it is not certified it will be very difficult to sell. The role of state management is to provide information, system of certification and management; support farmers to produce and certify standard products.

Mr. Olivier Catrou emphasized that the potential of Vietnam to export organic agricultural products to Europe is huge because the products of the two sides complement each other. The market for organic agricultural products in Europe is huge, but how can consumers trust it to be able to export to Europe? Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will open up the potential to strongly develop this field for both sides. It is important that exporters need to go directly to Europe to find out, what they need and how to respond.