Recently, Typhoon Yagi (Typhoon No.3) and its aftermath caused severe damage in the northern provinces and cities, including Hanoi. The storm made the sources of fresh food scarce. To address this issue, Hanoi’s agricultural sector has proactively developed safe agricultural production models through supply chain linkages. These efforts not only ensure food safety, but also aim to export key agricultural products.

With a population of over 10 million, Hanoi’s demand for agricultural products, especially during storm season, is enormous. Therefore, to address this issue, Hanoi has worked with 43 provinces and cities to establish and develop 997 safe food supply chains.

Unique organic vegetable farming model of Dang Thi Cuoi and her husband in Dan Phuong District. 

Hanoi is focusing on renewing the agricultural production models, supporting localitites in building concentrated, safe production areas and developing key products; so that this can attract investment from businesses. Supply chains and brands for key agricultural products have been established to meet export standards. Pham Thi Tu Hau, Chairwoman of the Board and Director of Yen Anh Agricultural Production and Processing Cooperative (Ba Vi District), stated that all their products are traceable and branded. Among their products, buttered fried corn, sweet potato cocoon, and grilled coconut cassava cakes meet One Commune, One Product (OCOP) standards. As a result, monthly, the cooperative supplies an average of 100tons of products from corn, sweet potatoes, cassavas, and coconuts. Notably, the “cheese cassava cake” has been exported in large quantities to the US market and maintains constant orders.

Opening ceremony of the Displaying and Introducing Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Products Week in Hanoi to connect agricultural products from 63 provinces and cities nationwide.

A stall of Soi Bien company on Dang Tien Dong Street.

Nguyen Tien Hung, Director of BigGreen Vietnam Company Limited, said that established in 2010, his company has focused on wholesaling and retailing clean products, including vegetables, fruits and regional specialties. The company has successfully built a supply chain from production to distribution of clean vegetables, becoming a trusted brand for consumers. Currently, the company is expanding its market network with retail stores and supplying high-quality, safe products in large quantities to supermarkets and collective kitchens. BigGreen has established partnerships with many cooperatives and safe vegetable producers in major farming areas across the country, namely Moc Chau (Son La Province), Bac Ha (Lao Cai Province), Da Lat (Lam Dong Province) and Dong Anh (Hanoi). 

After graduating with a master’s degree in Agricultural Management from Larenstein University (Netherlands) in 2003, Tran Manh Chien returned to Vietnam to work as an agricultural project consultant for Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs). This experience deepened his commitment to farming, leading him to establish the first organic agricultural store chain in Hanoi, called Bac Tom. Currently Bac Tom supplies over two tonnes of vegetables and bio-pork daily to 20 stores, becoming a leading clean food chain in Hanoi that is highly favored by consumers. Chien said, “Every product at our store is traceable, which is a vital principle of the Bac Tom clean vegetable brand. To fulfill the growing trust of consumers, Bac Tom will continue working with farmers to apply science and technology in production, delivering more diverse and high-quality products”.

Biggreen is a wholesale and retail distribution system of clean food, with a long history of development in Hanoi and is known by many consumers.

Nguyen Thi Thu Hang, Head of Hanoi’s Sub-department of Quality, Processing, and Markets (under the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hanoi), said that Hanoi has over 13,000 agricultural, forestry, and fishery production and business establishments, and 15,808 cooperatives and individual businesses engaged in the preliminary processing, processing, and preservation of agricultural products. In recent years, the sub-department has cooperated with localities to support establishments in implementing advanced quality management programs in food production, such as VietGAP, HACCP, and ISO 22000, to improve quality and ensure food safety. In fact, not only during the storm seasons, safe agricultural production has changed farming practices, helping farmers comply with technical processes, bringing in economic value that is 10-15% higher than traditional methods.

Nguyen Dinh Hoa, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that in the future, Hanoi will work with provinces and cities to implement a coordinated program called “Ensuring food safety, improving the quality of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products in trading between Hanoi and provinces and cities nationwide from 2021 to 2025” to control the quality of agricultural products in the market./.

Story: Hoang Ha    Photos: Hoang Ha & Khanh Long/VNP    Translated by Hong Hanh