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Vietnamese farm products are sold locally |
Some items are widely served on domestic and foreign flights; thereby, helping to improve Vietnamese agricultural products.
More than 90 percent of fruits and vegetables displayed in supermarkets such as Saigon Co.op, MM Mega Market, Central Retail Vietnam and retailers are Vietnamese kinds. At the present time, the program "Dong Thap Mango Week" is taking place at 48 supermarkets including GO!, BigC, and Tops Market (under the Central Retail Group of Vietnam) organized by the Department of Industry and Trade of the Mekong Delta Province of Dong Thap from now until May 17 with the aim to stimulate consumption demand and promote Vietnamese goods.
With a total area of about 14,000 hectares, Dong Thap mangoes are widely supplied to provinces and cities. The special fruit of Dong Thap Province was exported to Europe, the US, Japan, and China and it took home VND2,700 billion (US$ 115,393,535). Most of the products are stamping traceability, meeting VietGap, GlobalGap standards or growing organically.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Van, Communications Director of Central Retail Group, said that the program is expected to consume about 66 tons of mangoes, bringing the total consumption of Dong Thap mangoes this year to 200 tons. Currently, the supermarket system is offering discounts from 20 percent to 36 percent for the fruit as well as products processed from mango, including mango smoothies and pre-cut fruits. The selling price of Cat Chu mango is VND21,900 per kg and Hoa Loc kind is VND39,900 a kg.
Not only mango, but many other agricultural products such as lychee, durian, mangosteen, avocado, and sweet potato in provinces and cities across Vietnam are very well consumed in each season of the year at the distribution system, Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Van informed.
The national airline Vietnam Airlines also actively brings Vietnamese specialty fruit products such as lychee, longan, and melon to serve on domestic and international flights to promote Vietnamese fruits to international visitors.
Previously, supermarket chains of Co.opmart, Co.opFood, MM Mega Market also simultaneously organized many other specialty fruit festivals to promote domestic products. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thang, Operational Director of Co.opmart, said that the supermarket has been purchasing goods from more than 200 suppliers in the Mekong Delta region, especially essential agricultural products for export.
In the past few years, brands such as Quang Thanh vegetable powder, Xuan Nguyen forest honey are not only known in the country but also in fastidious markets around the world. Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Huong, Director of Natural Import-Export Company in Cu Chi outlying district said that the products including Quang Thanh freeze-dried centella asiatica powder, lettuce powder, lotus leaf powder have been recognized as 4-star One Commune One Product (OCOP).
Although Vietnam is rich in agricultural products, the government necessarily works out a long-term strategy to successfully compete with other countries in the world. Mr. Nguyen Van Lan, a tour guide, said that he must understand guests’ tastes to give them different fruits. For example, he said, overseas Vietnamese visitors to Ho Chi Minh City like eating dried pineapple fish, Can Gio clams, water coconut molasses, Binh Chanh green skin pomelo while Vietnamese holiday-makers prefer durian, fresh or dried jackfruit to keep the same flavor and European travelers prefer slightly scented dried fruit. In addition, the packaging also needs to be presented so that it is attractive, well-preserved and environmentally friendly, said tour guide Nguyen Van Lan.
In a talk with SGGP Newspaper, a leader of a large retail group in Vietnam commented that Vietnam's specialty fruit flavors are competitive with other countries. But Vietnam doesn’t have eye-catching goods, especially products with intensive processing. Because the buyer just glances through the booth and makes a decision in about 3 seconds to choose or not. Agreeing with the opinion, Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Van, Communications Director of Central Retail Group, said that domestic enterprises need to pay more attention to their products’ appearance.
