AgriTrace opens global doors for Vietnamese farm produce

On March 21 in Ho Chi Minh City, Exabyte Investment and Technology JSC introduced AgriTrace, a blockchain-based agricultural traceability solution.

Driving digital and green transformation, and data transparency

The event was supported by the Ho Chi Minh City Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (HCMC C4IR) and Sunwah Viet Nam Group. The Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BIDV) participated as a strategic financial partner. Their shared goal is to build a comprehensive financial ecosystem and unlock funding from banks and investment funds to accelerate digital transformation in agriculture nationwide.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Le Viet Binh, Deputy Chief of Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in charge of the southern region, said the Party and the State have introduced a range of policies promoting science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation as key drivers of growth, while steering the agricultural sector towards more sustainable development.

In this context, applying blockchain to agricultural traceability is a timely and appropriate step, helping ensure supply chain transparency, strengthen market trust, and support digital transformation.

According to Mr. Binh, agricultural, forestry, and fishery exports reached 70.3 billion USD in 2025, with a trade surplus of over 21.6 billion USD, underscoring the sector’s vital role in the economy. The sector is targeting 100 billion USD in export value by 2030.

“This goal is entirely achievable if we accelerate digital and green transformation while improving product transparency”, Mr. Binh said, adding that the Ministry will continue to refine policies, promote technology adoption, enhance data connectivity, and develop a digital ecosystem, while encouraging tech companies to engage more deeply in the agricultural value chain.

He also praised the use of blockchain to improve supply chain transparency and expressed hope that enterprises will continue refining their solutions to better meet practical needs, while strengthening coordination with authorities, localities, and stakeholders across the agricultural value chain.

Mr. Pham Phu Truong, Deputy Director of HCMC C4IR, said Vietnamese agricultural products should move beyond being simply an “export powerhouse” and instead build a globally trusted and sustainable brand. In this context, traceability platforms and transparent data systems serve as a “passport” helping Vietnamese products reach international consumers.

He added that Industry 4.0 technologies such as blockchain go beyond data storage, providing analytical and forecasting capabilities that can support policymaking. He also commended Exabyte for choosing agriculture as its starting point and developing a “Make in Viet Nam” solution that directly serves local farmers.

Removing ‘bottlenecks’ with technology

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Nhat, CEO of Exabyte, pointed out that more than 70% of agricultural production chains are still managed by smallholder farmers. This fragmented structure makes it difficult to standardise processes and adopt technology, resulting in inconsistent product quality.

In addition, Vietnamese agricultural products still lack a clear classification system aligned with international standards. While other countries categorise products based on quality, nutritional value, and appearance, the domestic market mainly relies on size or price, limiting value optimisation and competitiveness in premium segments.

AgriTrace is designed to address cost and data management challenges amid market volatility. By leveraging Layer 1 blockchain technology, it enhances autonomy and ensures data security for the agricultural sector, while also supporting the implementation of national policies on innovation and digital transformation.

By improving supply chain transparency, blockchain helps strengthen market trust, modernise production, and bring Vietnamese agricultural products in line with international standards.

A core feature of AgriTrace is the “democratisation” of product grading at the farm level based on international criteria. Rather than marketing products under vague categories, the platform uses automated grading based on factors like size, sweetness, freshness, and residue levels, improving transparency and boosting product value by 20-50%.

As a result, farmers can more easily access certifications such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP, and Organic standards, while businesses gain reliable data to build strong brands. This marks a shift from exporting raw products to higher-value, processed and standardised goods.

Economically, AgriTrace helps increase farmers’ incomes by reducing intermediaries and post-harvest losses. At the same time, AI integration can cut input costs by 30-40%, improve forecasting, and mitigate the risk of “bumper crops, falling prices”.

The platform also benefits multiple stakeholders: scientists gain valuable research data, businesses secure stable supply sources, and regulators obtain reliable data for supply-demand forecasting. Transparent data further helps attract investment into high-tech agriculture.

In addition, AgriTrace aims to build a digital agricultural community, strengthening connections among farmers, businesses, and scientists, while promoting knowledge sharing, technology transfer, and transparency for consumers.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Nhat affirmed that Agrichain is not only a technological solution but also a pathway for Vietnamese agriculture towards greater transparency, higher value, and sustainability, requiring close coordination among the “four key stakeholders”: the State, scientists, businesses, and farmers.

According to Mr. Nguyen Huu Vu Khoa, Secretary-General of the Global On-chain Economy Alliance (GOE Alliance), bringing real-economy assets such as agricultural products onto blockchain platforms can generate added value and accelerate circulation.

Currently, the total transaction value of stablecoins has reached approximately 16.5 trillion USD, surpassing the scale of many traditional payment systems. This indicates a strong shift toward the digital economy, opening up new opportunities for agricultural products if effectively leveraged.

“The agricultural sector is targeting 100 billion USD in export value by 2030. However, achieving this goal is not only about production, but also about how the sector enhances transparency, embraces digitalisation, and effectively tells its ‘value story’ in the global market”, he said.