HCM City will build a safe supply chain each for vegetables, pork and seafood, open shops selling safe agricultural produce and develop brands for safe food markets. — Photo thucphamban.vn

HCM CITY — As part of a programme to create an agricultural supply chain by 2020, HCM City will build a safe supply chain each for vegetables, pork and seafood, open shops selling safe agricultural produce and develop brands for safe food markets.

The city’s agricultural output meets just 30 per cent of its 10 million people’s demand, and the rest is supplied by other cities and provinces.

It had carried out a pilot programme to create a safe food supply chain in 2013-15, and achieved reasonable results.

But the supply of products as well as their variety were modest.

It is based on this effort that the city is now attempting to create the agricultural supply chain.

The programme aims at strengthening the links with provinces that supply farm produce, improve oversight of food safety and raise producers and distributors’ awareness of safeguarding consumers’ health.

One of its major tasks will be to ensure food safety through inspections and control at the points of origin.

Another is to improve safety at all stages in the process, from breeding and slaughter to transport, processing and distribution.

This is expected to add to the brand value of the country’s agricultural produce.

The programme targets establishing 20 VietGap-certified pig breeding farms in the city and 10 in Đồng Nai, Bình Dương, Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu and Long An Province, each with 500 pigs.

It will encourage investment also in farms rearing young pigs, modern slaughterhouses and trading establishments in these places.

By doing this way, the safe food chain is expected to meet 30 per cent of the city’s demand for safe pork by 2020.

To supply fruits and vegetables, the programme will establish four safe food chain models in which co-operatives and businesses participate.

By 2020, fruits and vegetables produced by these chains will meet 50 per cent of the city’s needs.

In the case of seafood too, the programme expects to meet more than 50 per cent of the demand.

It targets opening 100-150 shops selling fresh farm produce such as meat, seafood, vegetables, poultry eggs and milk.

It will develop a system enabling consumers to trace the origins of products from cultivation, animal breeding and seafood co-operatives.

The city plans to develop brands for wholesale and traditional markets selling safe farm produce by 2020. — VNS