HÀ NỘI - The Việt Nam Safe Farm Product Cooperative Alliance yesterday opened its first supermarket for safe agricultural products at No. 14 Mạc Thái Tông Street in Hà Nội’s Cầu Giấy District.

The alliance was established on September 9 this year and was recognised as a member of the Việt Nam Co-operative Alliance (VCA) on September 12.

According to Phạm Minh Tuấn, chairman of the Safe Farm Product Cooperative Alliance, the alliance has worked with nearly 200 cooperatives nationwide to build a trademark for safe Vietnamese agricultural products.

"It is expected that there will be 20 other supermarkets opened in Hà Nội and HCM City from now to the end of the year," Tuấn said.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hồ Thị Kim Thoa highly appreciated the initiative, especially in the context of the rampant distribution of unhygienic food. She hoped the VCA will further cooperate with the ministry to promote the programme by connecting with the distribution system of the VCA.

VCA chairman Võ Kim Cự said the alliance would encourage its members to take part in supplying safe farm produce by giving them support, such as providing preferential loans and seeking shop locations.

Customers could check the origin of products through the bar codes on the packaging, Cự said, adding that if a supplier’s violation was detected, all products of the supplier would be removed from shelves.

Witnessed by representatives of VCA and the ministry, the Việt Nam Safe Farm Product Cooperative Alliance signed a Memorandum of Understanding with coperatives in provinces from the north to the south, including Sơn La, Bình Định, Bình Thuận, Bình Phước and Lâm Đồng.

More than 10 million farm households are expected to benefit from the new distribution channel, contributing to the “Vietnamese give priority for Việt Nam’s products” campaign. – VNS