Vegetables and fruits exports still go smoothly despite Covid-19

According to DOVECO, the production, supply of raw materials, vegetables and fruits processing and export remain well-maintained despite Covid-19.

Processing and export remain well-maintained

On August 1, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien, Head of MARD’s Northern Special Task Force has worked with Dong Giao Foodstuff Export JSC (DOVECO) to grasp the enterprises’ situation regarding purchase, processing and circulation of goods and agricultural products.

As claimed by Mr. Dinh Cao Khue, DOVECO’s Chairman of the Board of Directors (BOD), the company is promoting the development of raw material areas in provinces with suitable conditions for fruit trees such as Son La, Gia Lai, Ninh Binh and some provinces of the Central Highlands, heading towards a sustainable value chain. The company's goal is to achieve a growth rate of 15-20%/year in these raw material areas.

"From the beginning, we have our minds set on how to dominate the market. To do so, the price must have competitiveness. For the price to be competitive, the company must have a good management method, from labor to technical procedure, fertilizer material. If all stages are done well, the company can optimize the product, both in terms of output cost and quality", said Mr. Dinh Cao Khue.

Upon facing the complicated situation of the Covid-19 epidemic, DOVECO has taken strict measures in disease prevention and control, thoroughly asked employees to strictly follow the "5K" rule of the Ministry of Health. Every day, before entering the production line, workers are quickly tested for Covid-19. Moreover, thanks to the favorable conditions created by the leaders of the provincial People's Committees and the agricultural sector, DOVECO workers are almost 100% vaccinated against Covid-19.

With the 4th Covid-19 outbreak from the end of April 2021 until now, DOVECO shared that they have already had experience with the previous responses, plus the strict compliance to the production process, the company still retains average consumption of 100 tons of products per day (factory in Ninh Binh), including pineapple, passion fruit, sweet corn, mango and many other agricultural products.

"DOVECO aims to compete with countries with similar production scale to Vietnam. We constantly update and study technology to perfect the production process. DOVECO's core value is to associate company culture with employee benefits.

As in this epidemic, all members of the company are always ready to support Hanoi and other provinces and cities across the country if the epidemic situation remains complicated. DOVECO is committed to providing a full range of fresh fruits and vegetables, processed vegetables and green vegetables at a reasonable price and of high quality so that there will be no local shortage of food and foodstuff", said Mr. Dinh Cao Khue.

Enterprise is a ‘magnet’

With the policy of taking enterprises as the nucleus for agricultural development, and at the same time aiming for higher production models such as circular agriculture, responsible agriculture, and sustainable agriculture, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said that a good business is a "magnet" that attracts cooperatives, cooperative groups and farmers. Not only that, the business promotion of mechanization and automation also helps pull workers back to the countryside, ensuring the future of "ecological agriculture, modern countryside, intelligent farmer".

"During the social distancing period in Hanoi and many northern cities and provinces, if businesses have good methods of disease prevention and control, then the supply chain, preliminary processing, processing, transportation and export will not be affected. DOVECO is a typical example, while the company is in a state of insufficient supply and demand", emphasized Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien.

From the anti-epidemic experience of the southern provinces as well as the report of the MARD’s Working Group 970, it can be seen that the distribution system, traditional markets and focal points must be operated continuously. As the leader of the Northern Special Task Force, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien recommended that provinces and cities need to have backup positions, ensure logistics for anti-epidemic, in parallel with connecting production phases.

"The epidemiological feature of Covid-19 is that it is not transmitted by means of transport, agricultural products, food, and foodstuff, but only by people such as drivers, those who carry, load and unload goods. Therefore, we only need to have this problem under control, only ban limited items to prevent the disease from spreading from one province to another", said Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien.