The initiative is part of a new action plan issued by the MoAE to strengthen efforts against smuggling, commercial fraud, and counterfeit goods amid evolving challenges.

The campaign’s core focus includes food safety, counterfeit and toxic food products of unclear origin; forest and aquatic products; and the production and trade of fake crop seeds, livestock breeds, fertilizers, and pesticides.

Particularly, the ministry is intensifying inspections on the use of growth stimulants in fruits and monitoring the overuse of chemicals to artificially increase weight or retain water in thawed food, which can result in weight inaccuracies and quality degradation.

The inspections will target high-risk areas with a history of violations and complex developments.

The MoAE has appointed the Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development as the permanent task force coordinator, responsible for guiding and overseeing implementation across related units.

This department is also tasked with advising, compiling reports, and submitting campaign outcomes to the minister for further reporting to the Prime Minister. The reports will address efforts to combat smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeiting, and intellectual property violations.

In parallel, the department will formulate and carry out inspection and post-inspection plans related to food safety. Violations involving counterfeit, toxic, or untraceable food, or the excessive use of banned chemicals, will be strictly penalized.

The Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection has been assigned to organize and execute targeted inspections during the campaign, focusing on fake fertilizers, plant varieties, and banned agricultural chemicals. It will pay particular attention to the use of illegal growth stimulants in fruits, especially yellow O chemical agents in durians.

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine will focus its inspections on the import, temporary import, and re-export of meat, animal by-products, and animal-derived food and feed.

All heads of MoAE-affiliated agencies are required to take full and direct responsibility for implementing this action month under the “six specifics” principle: clear personnel, clear tasks, clear timelines, clear responsibilities, clear outputs, and clear authority.

Agencies are expected to fulfill their assignments diligently and will be held fully accountable before the minister for the results of this high-priority campaign.

Tam An