Delegates cut the ribbon to open the Sơn La Plum and Agricultural Product Festival on May 25 at Co.opmart Huỳnh Tấn Phát in HCM City’s District 7. — Photo courtesy of Saigon Co.op

HCM CITY — The Sơn La Plum and Agricultural Product Festival opened on Saturday at Co.opmart Huỳnh Tấn Phát in HCM City’s District 7, marking the start of a series of activities to promote consumption of the province’s specialties at Saigon Co.op's 800 points of sale nationwide from May 24 to June 1.

This is the first time Saigon Co.op has made trade connections with the Northwest province.

Saigon Co.op is expected to sell 100 tonnes of Sơn La plums which are grown in Mộc Châu and Yên Châu districts during the festival.

The plums, which meet food hygiene, safety and VietGAP standards, and have origin certification, are being discounted to only VNĐ29,900 per kilogramme at Co.opmart and Co.opXtra supermarkets.

In addition to reserving prime places for displaying Sơn La agricultural products, Co.opmart and Co.opXtra have also organised samplings of fresh plums and products processed from plums such as jams, syrups and soft dried and dried plums.

On the first day of the programme (May 24), Co.opmart, Co.opXtra, and Co.op Food sold more than 10 tonnes of the fruits. Customers appreciate the plums for their sweetness, crunchiness, and flavour, and eye-catching bright red colour.

Saigon Co.op has carefully prepared, from warehouses, transportation, preservation to distribution, Vietnamese agricultural products in general and Sơn La plums in particular to ensure their freshness and quality when they enter into its distribution system.

Besides that, a range of Sơn La agricultural products and items made under the national “One Commune, One Product” programme such as longan, yellow passion fruit, coffee, tea, dried longan, black garlic, arrowroot vermicelli, smoked buffalo meat and pork, dried bamboo shoots, lingzhi mushrooms and chẩm chéo (a special salt made by the Thái people) are on display and available for sale at Co.opmart and Co.opXtra.

Customers buy Sơn La plums at Co.opmart Huỳnh Tấn Phát supermarket. — Photo courtesy of Saigon Co.op

Expanding the supply of the Northwest provinces’ products helps Saigon Co.op diversify its goods portfolios and ensure a sustainable supply and competitive prices so that mountainous specialties can reach many customers.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nguyễn Thành Công, vice chairman of the provincial People's Committee, highlighted the significance of the event, stating that, “Bringing Sơn La plums into Saigon Co.op’s distribution system nationwide is a significant channel for the product to reach consumers nationwide, raising the Son La Plum brand’s value and positioning. This is also the most concrete activity under the co-operation between Sơn La Province and Saigon Co.op."

Nguyễn Anh Đức, Saigon Co.op’s general director, said: "More than 90 per cent of goods being sold at Saigon Co.op's distribution systems are Vietnamese goods, including more than 1,000 OCOP products from businesses and co-operatives nationwide. We always support and are ready to co-operate with agricultural, industrial and handicraft production establishments to create opportunities for brand promotion, market expansion and business development .”

Saigon Co.op is always a pioneer in market stabilisation, and serves as a bridge to promote consumption of high-quality Vietnamese goods, OCOP products, and local specialties to consumers nationwide.

Bringing Sơn La plums into Saigon Co.op’s distribution system nationwide is a result of a close co-operation between distributors, manufacturers and local authorities, Đức said.

The retailer will continue to organise similar festivals to promote consumption of Vietnamese agricultural products, and increase the customer experience when visiting and shopping at Co.opmart, Co.opXtra, he added. — VNS