Hà Nội has done well in food safety management from production to consumption of agricultural products. Photo of the Hà Nội Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội's agricultural industry has promoted concentrated production chains applying high technology to supply safe food for consumers, including foreigners living in the city.

Nguyễn Thị Thu Hằng, director of the Hà Nội Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Quality Control Sub-Department under the Hà Nội Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that Hà Nội's agriculture sector has cooperated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and localities to promote the development of concentrated and large-scale agricultural areas.

Besides that, it has maintained and developed 159 agricultural product consumption chains, supplying enough raw materials for processing and exporting activities.

In addition, Hà Nội now has 13,474 agricultural, forestry and fishery production and trading establishments. Hà Nội's agriculture sector has regularly monitored the quality of food to trace the origin, ensuring the quality and safety of the food supplied for consumers.

Head of Thanh Trì District Economic Division Nguyễn Thị Tuyết Anh said Thanh Trì District has focused on developing four concentrated agricultural regions, including a 100-ha region growing fruits in Vạn Phúc Commune; a region producing safe vegetables under VietGAP standards in communes of Yên Mỹ and Duyên Hà; and a region growing high-quality rice in Tả Thanh Oai, Đại Áng and Vĩnh Quỳnh communes; and an aquaculture region in Đại Áng, Đông Mỹ communes.

Those regions not only supply safe goods but also help the authorities control the quality of food on the municipal market, and trace the origin of agricultural products.

Trần Đức Tuyến, deputy head of Phú Xuyên District Economic Division, said this district has 2,032 food production, business and processing establishments. In order to monitor the quality of products, Phú Xuyên has built cooperation among regions producing safe agricultural, forestry and fishery products.

In addition, the district has many products certified to meet VietGAP standards, such as asparagus, fish, celery, vegetables, mushroom, pomelos and longan.

To improve the efficiency of food safety management, Phú Xuyên district has strengthened inspection and supervision at supermarkets and residential markets to find out and handle violations of food safety.

Hà Nội's agriculture sector now focuses on controlling food quality at the stages of raw material, transportation, preservation, production, processing, import and circulation in the market.

Along with that, it controls small-scale livestock and poultry slaughtering activities, use of salbutamol in livestock, fake food, food with unknown origin, and expired and smuggled products.

It also controls multi-level business and e-commerce activities for trading food.

In order to completely deal with violations of food safety, Hà Nội recommends the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development continue reviewing and perfecting policies, laws, and standards and technical regulations on quality management of agricultural materials, ensuring food safety.

The municipal agriculture sector will coordinate with Hà Nội's localities to strengthen management of food quality and safety, focusing on processing and market development. It also steps up the application of information technology in quality management and traceability of agricultural products and food.

In order to improve the efficiency of food safety management, according to vice chairman of Thường Tín District People's Committee Bùi Công Thản, this district strictly prohibits the use of pesticides and antibiotics in agricultural production. It also has guidance on choosing products having origin and labelled agricultural products.

For business establishments, their products must have a clear origin and full information about production date and expiry date on the label. They are not allowed to sell poor-quality products on the market.

Deputy Director of Hà Nội Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Ngọc Sơn said that from now until the end of the year, the agriculture sector will continue to be proactive in monitoring food safety, especially for vegetable, meat and aquatic products. — VNS