HÀ NỘI — The Cooperative Union of Agricultural Consumption (UCA) opened three safe farm produce supermarkets in Hà Nội on Wednesday.

The stores are located at No 6 Dương Đình Nghệ Street in Nam Từ Liêm District, No 6 Trần Thái Tông Street in Cầu Giấy District and 36B HH3A Linh Đàm urban area in Hoàng Mai District.

Phạm Minh Tuấn, chairman of the UCA board of directors, said the union was co-ordinating with nearly 200 co-operatives nationwide to sell safe products to local and foreign customers, thereby promoting the image of Vietnamese safe farm produce and increasing the value of the products.

UCA plans to open 50-100 similar supermarkets in Hà Nội, HCM City and other localities nationwide by 2017, he said, adding that the union would seek partners in overseas markets to send the commodities abroad.

Võ Kim Cự, president of the Việt Nam Cooperative Alliance (VCA), said farm produce sold at the UCA supermarket chain was strictly controlled by VCA chapters across the country, from producing, harvesting and processing stages to packaging and tracing the products’ origin.

Nguyễn Thiện Nhân, president of the Việt Nam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee hailed the model of safe farm produce supermarkets, saying it would help link farmers with co-operatives and assist enterprises in selling their products.

At the same time, through the supermarket chain, producers could easily measure consumers’ demand, Nhân said.

He suggested expanding this model nationwide while encouraging farmers to join the UCA.

He hoped from now until March 2017, the UCA would sign contracts with foreign partners to export Vietnamese farm produce.

In the next four years, the VFF would support the UCA to build a chain of supermarkets and call for more private investment in creating a safe farm produce retail channel.

In mid-September, the first supermarket for safe agricultural products was opened on No 14 Mạc Thái Tông Street in Hà Nội’s Cầu Giấy District. – VNS