Why adapt good practices when prices are the same?

A number of farmers in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong say they have little interest in following the VietGAP (Good Agricultural Practices) standards for their vegetable crops as wholesalers and supermarkets ask to buy them at the same prices as traditionally grown produce.

Of the 40,000 hectares of vegetable crops in the province, some 700 hectares include ‘safe vegetables’, while those with VietGAP certificates only cover 260 hectares.

The safe and VietGAP produce fetch similar prices, farmers say.

Nguyen Quang Dao, a vegetable grower in Da Lat, said he used to have a 2-hectare of crop under the VietGAP standards. But when the certificate expired last year, Dao did not bother to renew it, he said.

“It requires much harder work, but the selling prices are not worth it,” he explained.

Profits from the VietGAP crops were 10 percent lower than those of the traditional cultivation method, he said, adding most of the expenses were for hiring employees to keep records of the growing process, which is a requirement of the program.

Le Van Minh, director of the provincial agriculture department, said farmers have to earmark huge expenses to adopt VietGAP, but still cannot sell the produce at higher prices.

“This is not to mention the VND10 million – VND20 million fees to complete the VietGAP procedures,” he added.

Mai Van Khan, head of the Tan Tien Cooperative, whose 4.5 hectares of vegetable crops are grown under the VietGAP standard, also said the selling prices of the high-quality products are not attractive enough to farmers.

“Should growers remain discouraged by the selling prices, they will soon get rid of VietGAP,” he warned.