Decentralization of crop production procedures: Problems and solutions

(Chinhphu.vn) - Cultivation and Plant Protection is the first sector of the agricultural sector to organize dialogues and answer questions from localities and businesses after the new administrative decentralization.

Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection ( Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ) - Photo: VGP/Do Huong

Implementing Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW of the Party Central Committee on administrative reform and streamlining the apparatus, together with Decree 136/2025/ND-CP and Circular 12/2025/TT-BNNMT, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has decentralized 22 administrative procedures in the fields of cultivation, plant protection, plant quarantine, fertilizers... to the People's Committees at the provincial level.

There are still some problems...

According to the assessment of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection (BVTV), after nearly 1 month of implementation (from July 1, 2025), preliminary results show that localities still face some difficulties in the implementation process such as: Lack of information, confusion in document appraisal, limitations in database...

Typically, in Hanoi , Ms. Luu Thi Hang, Head of the Hanoi Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, said: "The time to carry out administrative procedures still encounters some difficulties. For example, the procedure for granting import licenses is decentralized to the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment. The unit directly carrying out this procedure is the Hanoi Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, and it must be carried out by submitting the application directly. Having to transport paper documents from the Department to the Department, as well as having to explain the appraisal contents to the Department, takes a lot of time, while the procedure has a short implementation time."

Regarding the instructions for the procedure for recognizing organizations that are qualified to test pesticides, Clause 2, Section II of the Explanation of conditions for conducting pesticide testing states the means and equipment for testing pesticides while the regulation on file appraisal does not include on-site assessment, which will cause difficulties and problems during appraisal.

In addition, in Clause 3, Section II of the Explanation of the conditions for conducting pesticide testing, the area, structure, and season of common crops in the area that are managed or contracted by the organization are stated. "So during the process of reviewing the application, is it necessary to request the organization to supplement the contract or evidence to prove the right to manage?", a representative of the Hanoi Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection asked.

According to Ms. Le Thi Nghiem, Head of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection of Ho Chi Minh City, "The list of plant varieties allowed for circulation has only been updated for this year, and previous years have not been made public on the Electronic Information Portal, leading to difficulties in carrying out procedures for exporting and importing varieties. Regarding fertilizer testing, Circular 12/2025/TT BNNMT requires the dossier to include an 'explanatory statement of conditions for conducting fertilizer testing', clearly stating the facilities and technical conditions; while Decree 136/2025/ND-CP does not have detailed instructions, causing testing units and the Department to not know which standards to apply," Ms. Nghiem said.

Regarding the issue of recognizing plant variety testing organizations, Ms. Nghiem noted that there is still a lack of standards and legal basis for evaluating documents and carrying out procedures for re-issuing decisions. Similarly, re-issuing certificates of eligibility for fertilizer production requires facilities such as accredited testing laboratories, but there is currently no list of testing laboratories designated by the Department for the Sub-Department to compare. In particular, fertilizer import licenses only apply to products that have not been circulated in Vietnam, but information about products that have been circulated is also incomplete, disrupting the evaluation process.

In addition, Circular 12/2025/TT-BNNMT requires that the practice certificate must have the signature of the person being granted, causing difficulties when implementing the online issuance system. At the same time, the process of establishing the appraisal council is still unclear in terms of composition, responsibilities and procedures, causing confusion for localities in organizing.

Cultivation and Plant Protection is the first sector of the Agriculture sector to organize a dialogue to answer questions from localities and businesses after the new administrative decentralization - Photo: VGP/Do Huong

How to remove

Answering questions from the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City about granting fertilizer import licenses, Mr. Pham Minh Lan, Head of the Fertilizer Management Department, said that localities need to pay attention to regulations on the purpose of fertilizer import.

For tested fertilizers, there are regulations on the amount of imported fertilizer that must meet the amount of crops in the tested area, according to the standard of 10 hectares for annual crops and 20 hectares for perennial crops.

"From the beginning, localities need to calculate specific contents according to fertilizer import registration of organizations and individuals, from there conduct appraisal to grant fertilizer import licenses," Mr. Lan emphasized.

In addition, Mr. Pham Minh Lan also said that for fertilizers that have been recognized for circulation, there is no need for appraisal to grant a license because there is a list of fertilizers that are allowed to be imported. And localities only need to refer to that list to manage and grant licenses for fertilizers.

"Regarding the process of assessing dossiers that meet the conditions for fertilizer production, localities need to pay attention to the assessment process and especially the actual inspection work," said Mr. Lan.

Not only Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, on July 29, the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection in coordination with the Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper organized an online seminar with all local bridges and businesses interested in the new policies of the industry after decentralizing administrative procedures.

Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection emphasized: "We hope that localities will have a new approach to make administrative procedures more convenient. The Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection is committed to accompanying localities, industry associations and businesses."

Accordingly, in the coming time, the Department will organize specialized conferences to remove difficulties, at the same time develop guidance documents, reference manuals and experience exchange groups. Functional departments will also be assigned to directly supervise, promptly grasp and handle local problems.

Mr. Dat also suggested that industry associations closely coordinate with localities and businesses in the process of handling procedures, in order to avoid losses, maintain the reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products and commit to the international market.

At the same time, he called on organizations and individuals to proactively coordinate with the media to spread official information, avoiding misunderstandings that affect the sustainable development orientation of the industry.

"Localities need to proactively study specialized laws. If you encounter any problems, please report them to the Department so that they can send staff to directly support you. In particular, it is necessary to strengthen communication coordination on procedures, contributing to simplifying administration and improving the effectiveness of decentralization and delegation of authority in the field of crop cultivation and plant protection," Mr. Dat suggested.

Do Huong

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/phan-cap-thu-tuc-nganh-trong-trot-cac-vuong-mac-va-cach-thao-go-102250730065143448.htm