Hanoi has worked with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) at the seminar held earlier this week to facilitate the networking of agricultural products to ensure supply for the Tet holiday (Vietnam's traditional Lunar New Year).

According to the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD)'s Director Nguyen Ngoc Son, the city currently has nearly 70,800 food production, processing, and trading enterprises, 453 markets, 137 supermarkets, 29 shopping malls, 2,000 convenience stores, 34 e-commerce floors, and multimedia sales channels, and tens of thousands of district grocery stores.

However, Hanoi’s food production can only provide about 20-70%, depending on kinds, for its 10 million people. The rest comes from provinces and cities across the country and is imported from abroad.

Delegates visit agricultural stands at the recent trade fair. Photo: Trong Tung/The Hanoi Times

Director of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Quality Management Nguyen Thi Thu Hang said that Hanoi, with a population of nearly 10 million, is one of the largest consumers of agricultural and food products in the country.

"In recent years, Hanoi has adopted many solutions to develop production and find sources of safe, high-quality agricultural products from other provinces and cities to supply the capital market. The city has signed cooperation agreements with 43 provinces and cities to develop about 950 production, consumption, and promotion chains of agricultural products and regional specialties," Hang added.

She noted that months at the year-end and traditional Lunar New Year will be at the peak of shopping occasions when people's purchases will increase higher than in other months of the year. It is estimated that the total value of goods serving Tet holiday 2024 in the city will be about VND40.9 trillion (US$1.6 billion), an increase of 10% year on year.

"Therefore, Hanoi and other provinces and cities need to strengthen networking to ensure a stable supply of food and goods at the end of the year," Hang stressed.

Building a secure agricultural supply chain

At the seminar, delegates learned about regulations to control the food safety of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products. They also gave recommendations to producers and traders on how to produce goods that meet consumer demand for the year-end holiday.

According to Nguyen Nhu Tiep, Director of the Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development, local consumption is one of the three pillars of national growth.

"Therefore, linking agriculture and food consumption is a task that both ensures people's livelihood and drives agricultural and economic development. Localities must produce goods in line with market demand to avoid oversupply, understand food safety regulations, and meet requirements," Tiep said.