Sorting dragon fruit at a business in Binh Thuan - Photo: N.TRÍ
With their strong potential in supplying grapes, apples, and dragon fruit, the provinces of Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan export thousands of tons to Ho Chi Minh City each year. However, product quality remains inconsistent.
Increased supply controls will be implemented in many localities.
Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online on August 4th, a representative from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade stated that the city government and supermarket chains are implementing and will continue to implement various policies and work more closely with provinces to improve the quality of agricultural products and food brought to the city for consumption.
Accordingly, in addition to the vegetable and fruit group in Lam Dong , suppliers of dragon fruit from Binh Thuan, apples and grapes from Ninh Thuan have recently been informed by retailers about regulations on increased quality control and stricter penalties for violations; and this dissemination will soon be extended to the vegetable, fruit, and seafood groups in the Southwestern region of Vietnam...
"We can produce good quality goods for export to other countries, so there's no reason why we can't produce decent products for the domestic market. We need to seriously control the origin and quality of products," emphasized Mr. Nguyen Nguyen Phuong, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade.
According to Mr. Tran Quoc Sanh, Deputy Director of the Ninh Thuan Department of Industry and Trade, the province currently has 980.3 hectares of grape cultivation with a production of nearly 15,000 tons and 1,100 hectares of apples with a production of 25,700 tons each year. Currently, these two main products are distributed nationwide, especially to Ho Chi Minh City.
"We are stepping up support and encouraging farmers to increase production of quality goods, offering safe products to establish brands and expand markets in Ho Chi Minh City. In particular, through the supply-demand connection program between Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces, more products from Ninh Thuan will be sold in supermarket systems in the city," Mr. Sanh shared.
Recently in Ninh Thuan, several grape and apple suppliers signed agreements with distribution systems regarding product consumption and quality improvement - Photo: NT
Meanwhile, regarding dragon fruit as a strong point, Mr. Huynh Canh - Chairman of the Binh Thuan Dragon Fruit Association, said that the total area of dragon fruit cultivation in the province currently reaches about 27,000 hectares, of which nearly 2,000 hectares are producing clean dragon fruit, mainly for export. However, with the strong increase in domestic demand, the locality is aiming to increase the supply of quality dragon fruit for the domestic market, especially Ho Chi Minh City.
By paying a higher price, supermarkets will offer higher quality products.
Regarding the increased quality control of goods by supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Huynh Canh believes this is necessary. However, according to Mr. Canh, in reality, many supermarkets, due to price competition, prioritize purchasing only low-quality products. Therefore, high-quality goods are almost impossible to sell in the domestic market and are mainly used for export.
"With dragon fruit, producing quality products isn't difficult; the main reason is that consumers are too easygoing, so growers become complacent and don't improve quality."
"Supermarkets also need to set higher standards, increase the quality of goods they purchase, and offer higher purchase prices to motivate farmers to produce better products," Mr. Canh said.
As one of the retailers that signed a commitment to cooperate in controlling the quality of goods in Ho Chi Minh City, in an interview with Tuoi Tre Online on August 4th, Mr. Dau Nhu Anh - purchasing director of the fruit department at Bach Hoa Xanh, confirmed that they are working with a number of suppliers in various provinces to improve the quality of imported goods.
Ninh Thuan is supplying the market with more than 15,000 tons of grapes every year - Photo: N.TRÍ
Accordingly, with an annual purchase of approximately 3,500-4,000 tons of apples and grapes from Ninh Thuan, projected to reach 5,000 tons by 2025, and around 2,000 tons of dragon fruit from Binh Thuan, Bach Hoa Xanh is strongly focusing on improving quality in key growing regions. Specifically, it's not just about origin; suppliers also ensure factors such as harvesting fruits and vegetables at the right age, no pesticide residue, and sufficient sweetness and flavor.
Meanwhile, many large retail systems such as Saigon Co.op, MM Mega Market, etc., also said they are working further with more agricultural and food suppliers in the provinces to improve the quality of the products they purchase.
However, some retailers argue that high-quality goods mean higher import costs, which in turn leads to higher selling prices. Therefore, it would be more advantageous if consumers understood and supported high-quality products.
More distributors join the agreement.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, in addition to the six retail systems including Saigon Co.op, Central Retail Vietnam, MM Mega Market, Bach Hoa Xanh, Aeon Vietnam and Satra that had previously signed an agreement on "Cooperation in controlling the quality of goods in Ho Chi Minh City," two more large retailers have now joined.
With this agreement, many regulations are applied jointly, such as the parties agreeing to only produce or purchase products that meet common standards; the distribution system will immediately inspect and suspend imports/distribution/sales if unsafe products are detected; a supplier who violates regulations in one system will not be allowed to sell to the remaining systems...
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/binh-thuan-ninh-thuan-hua-tang-chat-luong-thanh-long-nho-tao-ban-vao-tp-hcm-20240805011955887.htm
