Hanoi (VNA) -♔ Hanoi has signed cooperation agreements with 43 provinces and cities across the country to develop nearly 1,000 safe agricultural product supply chains, towards ensuring the supply of agricultural products and food for the year-end market, heard a seminar in the capital city on August 6.

The municipal authorities also organised trade promotion activities and events to develop agricultural markets and regional specialties. The capital city’s agriculture sector has also paid attention to monitoring the quality and food safety of agro-forestry-aquatic products, thus issuing timely warnings if any risks are detected. In 2023, the rate of samples violating food safety standards was 4.4%. Meanwhile, in the first half of 2024, 98% of monitored samples were compliant. According to Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Dinh Hoa, Hanoi’s agricultural production scale is among the top in the country, but the production of some agro-forestry-aquatic products meets only 20-70% of the demand of more than 10 million residents living and working in the area. To ensure the supply, the department has directed the production development through supply chains of safe agricultural products, focusing on models of organic farming, VietGAP, high technology applications, and ecological agriculture. Delegates noted that many regional products, and those from the One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme of many provinces and cities are being sold by distributors, supermarkets, markets, fruit stores, processing companies, and export enterprises in Hanoi in large quantities. Notably, Hoa Binh province provides over 1,600 tonnes of Da River fish and more than 18,000 tonnes of fruits for Hanoi per year. The northern provinces of Son La and Hai Duong respectively supply over 19,000 tonnes of vegetables and fruit, and more than 30,000 tonnes of aquatic products for the capital city per year. Meanwhile, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong supplies 7-10% of its vegetable production to Hanoi, totaling over 66,000 tonnes annually. 100% of the food supply chains from provinces and cities to Hanoi are certified to meet regulated standards. Hoa said in the coming time, the agriculture sector will maintain and develop supply chains, while encouraging and supporting the implementation of good production models following organic and VietGAP standards and those applied high technology. The department will work with the municipal Department of Industry and Trade to keep close watch on the supply - demand situation and prices to respond promptly in case of market fluctuations, he added. According to Le Thanh Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Hanoi's agriculture sector needs to enhance coordination with provinces and cities to exchange information on production and quality control. Attention should be paid to strengthening training on regulations for ensuring quality, food safety, and control of imported and exported foods, and barriers in foreign markets, thus further improving quality and meeting the increasing demand of both domestic and international markets. Representatives from the MARD updated regulations regarding the management of food safety of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products. They also provided information on maintaining quality, food safety, and disease safety in producing processing, and exporting aquatic products to key markets, and recommendations for producers and businesses./.