Farm produce fair organized to sell safe vegetables, fruits

Safe farm produce fair officially opened in Le Van Tam Park in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 to help farmers to consume their products and buyers to realize safe veggies and fruits.

a booth to sell VietGAP vegetable in the fair (Photo: SGGP)

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Ho Chi Minh City organized the safe farm produce fair on Sundays every week. This is the second farm which considered as part of plan to open ten fairs from now to 2020.

Started in August, 2016, the city’s first safe farm fair in Cao Thang Street in district 10 brought vegetables, meat and fish certified with VietGAP, GlobalGAP standards to customers.

At first, the fair opened in Saturdays and Sundays every week but later it was held on Sundays. Over 40 fairs had been held with the participation of 20-30 farms earning turnover of VND100 million a fair. 

In 40 fairs, 50 orders each worth VND4 billion ($175,961) a month were placed. The fairs received consumers’ overwhelming support.

Seeing farmers are difficult to sell VietGAP, GlobalGAP certified vegetables while consumers are struggling to find safe veggies, the Department has played a role as bridge to connect farmers and consumerconsumers, Deputy director of the Department Nguyen Van Truc said.

People in districts 7, 11, Tan Phu arrived at the fair to buy safe produce though it is far from their houses. Accordingly, the fair organizer opened more places to serve residents in many districts to facilitate buyers as per the request from the municipal People’s Committee.

As per the plan, from now to 2020, the agriculture sector will open additional nine fairs; accordingly, the organizer decided to open a farm fair in Le Van Tam Park and next fair will be placed in Le Thi Rieng Park in District 10 at the end of the year. In 2018, the sector will open more fairs in districts 2, Tan Binh, Binh Tan.