Capital gets to taste Lào Cai Province’s local specialties

Visitors check information on products at the fair. — VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI – Nearly 80 specialties from the northern mountainous province of Lào Cai are being displayed at the Lào Cai agricultural and OCOP products exhibition which began on Friday at the Big C Thăng Long supermarket in Hà Nội.

The three-day event is part of efforts made by the province and Big C, Central Group Vietnam, to introduce safe and high-quality products from other regions to the capital city’s citizens, as well as helping promote “One Community One Product” (OCOP) programme and grow local businesses and farmers.

On display are 45 OCOP products certified with three to five stars such as Séng Cù rice, Thẩm Dương glutinous rice, sausages, dried pork, smoked buffalo meat, cabbages, chayote, kohlrabi, mushrooms, Mường Khương chili sauce, dried bamboo shoots, medicinal herbs, tea, wine, vermicelli and smoke salmon.

According to Nguyễn Xuân Nhẫn, deputy director of the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Lào Cai Province has 70 certified safe agricultural product chains, 52 of which are supplying to Hà Nội and neighbouring provinces.

“All products introduced at the fair are specialties of Lào Cai Province with clear origin and traceability stamps, certified safe products by VietGAP. All information concerning the quality and origin of products is displayed publicly during and after the event,” Nhẫn said.

He also highlighted the event as a good opportunity for the province to introduce and promote its agricultural products, help consumers have better understanding about its trustworthy products and connect businesses between the two localities, as well as present to investors potential and investment opportunity of the province.

Phạm Văn Duy, deputy director of Agricultural Product Processing and Market Development Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the year 2019 has witnessed strong efforts by many provinces to introduce and promote their local agricultural products and actively seeking to boost trade.

He said many localities have cooperated with Big C to organise agricultural weeks such as Hòa Bình, Sơn La, Bắc Kạn, Đồng Tháp, Hưng Yên, Hà Tĩnh and Tây Nguyên in Bic C’s outlets in Hà Nội and HCM City.

Duy emphasised selling local agricultural specialties to modern supermarkets is an effective channel and highly he appreciates Lào Cai Province’s efforts actively seeking cooperation with modern supermarkets to promote its products.

He hoped localities will expand cooperation with other supermarkets to increase trade, boost local production and create value chains towards sustainable development.

At the event, Big C, a member of Central Retail Vietnam, and Lào Cai’s Hưng Thịnh Cooperative signed trade agreements to supply Mường Khương black pork to Big C’s supermarkets. This is part of the Livelihood Community Programme implemented by Central Retail Vietnam to support farmers, fishermen and poor households in coastal, and rural and remote areas.

Located in the mountainous Northwest region, besides tourism potential, Lào Cai has promising agriculture development such as high-quality, specialty rice, medicinal herbs, vegetables, tea, tropical fruits and flowers.

In the province’s trade, investment and tourism promotion conference in July this year, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc suggested the province develop agriculture on three pillars – organic and clean farming, use of high technology in production and processing and linkages in value chains. — VNS