Supermarket buys organic vegetables

The Sai Gon Union of Trading Co-operatives (Saigon Co.op) yesterday signed long-term contracts with four co-operatives that produce clean vegetables in HCM City.

Bui Hanh Thu, deputy general director of Saigon Co-op, said the move aimed to help farmers feel secure in their production while ensuring a stable supply of safe vegetables for the Co.opMart chain.

Under the contract, vegetables from Phuoc An, Nga Ba Giong, Tan Phu Trung and Tho Viet Co-operatives would be sold through Co.opMart supermarkets as well as Co.op Food outlets in the city.

Saigon Co.op will invest a total of VND6 billion (US$307,692) in the four co-operatives to help them improve their production technology to raise the quality of their produce and build their brands.

In addition, Saigon Co.op will provide information about the demand for agricultural products and guide co-operatives’ members in production following the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) system.

Saigon Co.op sells around 50 tonnes of vegetables a day. The corporation also wants to expand co-operation with many other localities in order to gain priority supplies.

The city has 120,000ha of agricultural land, of which 2,800ha is under vegetable plantation, yielding around 200,000 tonnes of vegetables a year, said Nguyen Phuoc Trung, deputy director of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department in HCM City. — VNS

Tags: Vietnam retail market, Vietnam supermarkets