HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (MARD) Trade Union and the Việt Nam Trade Promotion Centre for Agriculture (VNTPCA) on Friday signed an agreement to offer price support for agriculture products that are sold to trade union members.

They also opened a centre for the supply of safe agricultural products in the country.

Some 50 agriculture business enterprises, producers and co-operatives have committed to offer a discount of between 5 and 20 per cent on the price of safe agriculture products sold at the centre.

The products are diverse in type, including agro-forestry specialties from different regions.

According to Đào Văn Hồ, director of VNTPCA, the products will be labelled on the packaging with clear origins and certification. 

Many products were cited on an electronic information system, thus helping consumers have easy access to information about them, Hồ said.

Speaking at a signing ceremony on Friday, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vũ Văn Tám said although authorities had repeatedly issued warnings and sanctions, promised strict penalties, and even prohibition, many agricultural producers and trading companies had abused banned chemicals or pesticides during the processes of cultivation and preservation.

This had resulted in serious violation of rules on food safety, Tám said.

To cope with the situation, the deputy minister said MARD had chosen two years of 2016 and 2017 as “The years of food safety”.

During this time, MARD is focused on preventing and controlling the use of prohibited chemical substances in agriculture production, such as the abuse of pesticides, preservative chemicals, antibiotics and fake fertilisers, according to the MARD official.

At the same time, he said, the ministry would also intensify communication on the promotion of consumer awareness on food safety as well as on linking them with safe farm product chains.

Meanwhile, Bùi Văn Cường, president of the Việt Nam General Confederation of Labour, committed that the federation would request local trade unions, particularly those in agricultural processing and industrial parks to boost their operation in connecting producers and suppliers with consumers, so as to limit the loss to a minimum due to brokering, intermediary stages and other unnecessary trading procedures.

These connections, therefore, would also help create motivation for the consumption of hygienic and safe agricultural products among trade union members, said Cường. — VNS