Local plant protection officers are instructed to identify major citrus insects and mite pests during a training course in Nghệ An Province. — Photo courtesy of the organiser

NGHỆ AN — Plant protection officers in the central region are learning to diagnosis and manage citrus insects and mite pests at a training course in Nghệ An Province from October 11 to 20.

The ARISE+ Vietnam project funded by the EU coordinates with the Plant Protection Department to organize the 10-day training course to improve the capacity of local plant protection officers so that they can better assist farmers in producing quality citrus fruit products serving exports.

The training is part of the EU funded project ARISE+ Vietnam which helps enhance compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary standards to improve the safety of Việt Nam agro-food products and facilitate exports to the EU.

Participants of the training comprise officers from plant protection centres of the central provinces of Thanh Hóa, Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên-Huế.

At the event, provincial plant protection officers will be equipped with knowledge to identify the major citrus insects and mite pests. In addition, participants will have a chance to join a field trip to local citrus orchids and receive on-site guidance.

Citrus crops are crops of high economic value in Việt Nam and are also potential export products. To support pest control on this crop, it is necessary to build the capacity of local plant protection officers to identify pest composition, pest symptoms and safety prevention measures. Therefore, one of the urgent requirements is to provide necessary technical support to local technicians so that these officers can assist farmers in producing quality export products.

ARISE+ Vietnam is a project funded by the European Union contributing to the integration of Việt Nam’s economy into the global production chain through targeted support to both public and private sectors. The EU has supported the Vietnamese Government to reap the benefits of new bilateral and regional trade commitments, with a focus on the implementation of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). — VNS