Starting from July 1, 2026, localities will issue certificates for fragrant rice exported to the EU and the UK, contributing to simplifying procedures and facilitating conditions for enterprises.

Urgent completion of decentralization to avoid affecting exports

From July 1, 2026, the procedures for certifying and re-certifying fragrant rice varieties eligible for tariff preferences under the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the UK - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) will be officially decentralized to provincial-level People's Committees for implementation.

This was one of the notable contents discussed at the Conference on implementing Government resolutions and circulars of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on decentralization, delegation of power, cutting business conditions, and simplifying administrative procedures in the fields of crop production, plant protection, and quarantine, organized by the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) on the afternoon of June 8.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Vuong, Head of the Plant Variety Management Division under the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, the decentralization is implemented based on the Government's Resolution No. 17/2026/NQ-CP on cutting, decentralizing, and simplifying administrative procedures, along with provisions in Decree No. 103/2020/NĐ-CP, Decree No. 11/2022/NĐ-CP, and Decree No. 33/2026/NĐ-CP.

Previously, the authority to certify and re-certify fragrant rice varieties eligible for import duty exemption under quotas belonged to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. However, under the new mechanism, this authority will be transferred to the Chairmen of provincial and municipal People's Committees. According to Decision No. 1674/QĐ-BNNMT dated May 8, 2026, the agency assigned tasks by the Chairman of the provincial-level People's Committee will officially receive and handle the two aforementioned administrative procedures starting July 1, 2026.

To ensure the transfer is executed synchronously, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Official Dispatch No. 4946/BNNMT-TTTV dated May 18, 2026, sent to the People's Committees of provinces and cities to guide the implementation. In the dispatch, the Ministry requested localities to step up dissemination and propagation of the new regulations to management agencies, enterprises, and citizens; simultaneously, they must send sample signatures of authorized persons certifying fragrant rice variety certificates and re-certificates, along with the sample seal of the implementing agency, to the Ministry for compilation and notification to the European Union and the United Kingdom.

However, according to Mr. Nguyen Van Vuong, the progress in many localities remains slow. Up to the present moment, only 8 out of 34 provinces and cities subject to implementation have sent documents introducing specimen signatures and seal samples to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

This raises a requirement for localities to urgently advise provincial People's Committees to assign authority to specialized agencies, complete necessary procedures, and promptly submit dossiers to the Ministry to ensure the implementation is not disrupted. “If localities are slow in completing procedures, the fragrant rice export activities of enterprises could be directly affected when the decentralization mechanism officially takes effect from July 1, 2026,” Mr. Nguyen Van Vuong emphasized.

One of the contents of concern for many localities is the process of issuing fragrant rice variety certificates after decentralization. Answering a question about whether physical inspections must be organized in the fields, Mr. Nguyen Van Vuong stated that certification is conducted on the basis of dossiers in accordance with regulations in Decree No. 103/2020/NĐ-CP.

The dossiers already include an inspection record of the fragrant rice field drawn up by a testing organization, which bears legal responsibility for it. Therefore, the certificate-issuing agency does not have to organize field inspections. The maximum processing time for a dossier is 5 working days, helping shorten processing times and facilitating conditions for exporting enterprises.

According to experts' assessments, decentralizing the procedures for certifying exported fragrant rice to localities not only helps reduce the workload for central authorities but also enables enterprises to access public services faster, reducing travel costs and waiting times. This is also a step in line with the policy of promoting decentralization and delegation of power associated with enhancing local responsibilities in state management.

Cutting procedures, reducing costs for enterprises

Not only in the field of fragrant rice exports, the conference also dedicated significant time to resolving bottlenecks related to administrative procedures in the area of plant protection drugs, a sector with a direct impact on the production and business operations of enterprises.

A representative from the Sub-Department of Rural Development of Tay Ninh province reflected that currently, some plant protection drug manufacturing enterprises have been granted certificates and have declared active ingredient contents. However, when there is a need to change active ingredients, enterprises must perform procedures to declare a new product instead of adjusting information on the already issued certificate, leading to additional costs and implementation time.

Answering this content, Ms. Bui Thanh Huong, Head of the Plant Protection Drug Management Division, stated that current regulations are being implemented in accordance with Decree No. 33/2026/NĐ-CP on decentralization and delegation of power in the field of agriculture and rural development.

According to provisions in Article 61 of this Decree, administrative procedures related to certificates of eligibility for manufacturing plant protection drugs now only have two forms, including the issuance of certificates and the re-issuance of certificates. Among them, re-issuance only applies to cases prescribed by law.

Therefore, for cases involving changes to information on an already issued certificate, current law has not yet prescribed an adjustment procedure, and it must be carried out in the form of issuing a new certificate.

Ms. Bui Thanh Huong added that during the process of finalizing the legal system in the coming time, the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection will continue to review and study amendment options to simplify administrative procedures, reducing dossiers and paperwork for enterprises and state management agencies.

Another notable point is the simplification of procedures for re-issuing certificates of eligibility for trading plant protection drugs according to the Government's Resolution No. 66.19/2026/NQ-CP on cutting, delegating power, simplifying administrative procedures, and cutting and simplifying business conditions under the management scope of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Accordingly, certificates issued before the effective date of the resolution will continue to be used and are no longer restricted to a 5-year validity period as previously required. For applications for issuance or re-issuance submitted by organizations or individuals before the effective date of the new regulations, competent authorities will continue to receive and resolve them according to current regulations to ensure the rights of enterprises.

Mr. Nghiem Quang Tuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, stated that the new regulations aim to ensure uniform implementation from the central to local levels, while creating maximum facilitation for citizens and enterprises in production, business, and agricultural product import-export activities. Leaders of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection expect that the new policies will soon come into effect, contributing to improving the business investment environment, reducing compliance costs, promoting agricultural exports, and enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnamese agriculture in the international market.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the first 5 months of 2026, Vietnam exported approximately 4.5 million tons of rice, pocketing 2.09 billion USD, up 6.6% in volume but down 3.6% in value compared to the same period in 2025. The average export rice price in the first 5 months of the year reached around 467.6 USD/ton, down 9.6% compared to the same period last year.

Source: Bao Cong Thuong