Discussing solutions to bring Nghe An agricultural products into supermarket systems

On the afternoon of December 4, the Trade Promotion Agency (Ministry of Industry and Trade) coordinated with the Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion of Nghe An province to organize a workshop on "Finding solutions to bring agricultural products to supermarkets and connecting supply and demand to supportagricultural consumption".

Attending the workshop were leaders of the Department of Industry and Trade, the Provincial Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion, representatives of supermarkets, enterprises, cooperatives, and production households in the province.Nghe Anand other provinces. Photo: Quang An

The workshop aims to help businesses, cooperatives, agricultural production and trading units in the province understand the regulations and standards for agricultural product supply, and how to participate in the supermarket system; provide advice on solutions to improve production conditions and quality so that products meet the standards for sale in supermarkets; enhance communication and connection between production households, cooperatives and product consumption units...

Mr. Nguyen Van Nam - Deputy Director of the Provincial Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion spoke at the Workshop. Photo: Quang An

According to the report of Nghe An Department of Industry and Trade,At the end of 2015, Nghe An province had only 4 shopping malls, 42 supermarkets, and chain stores mainly focused on electronics and refrigeration. Now, Nghe An province has 17 shopping malls, 95 supermarkets, and more than 100 specialized stores and modern convenience stores operating according to the modern chain model that are developing rapidly, contributing greatly to the growth of total retail sales of goods in Nghe An province.

However, the number of modern retail establishments has increased rapidly but their scale is still small, some of which do not meet the standards of supermarkets and shopping centers. The modern retail system is currently mainly concentrated in Vinh city, towns and areas with commercial advantages. In rural areas, especially mountainous areas, remote areas, the number of modern retail establishments is still small.

Mr. Cao Minh Tu - Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade spoke at the Workshop. Photo: Quang An

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Ho Manh Hoan - Director of Bien Quynh Joint Stock Company said: For enterprises, cooperatives, and production households in the agricultural sector, linking to bring products to supermarkets for consumption is not easy. The most common mistake is that production facilities do not pay attention to completing legal procedures and business documents. There are units that have completed negotiations with supermarkets, however, when it comes to signing contracts to import goods, the documents are still incomplete, and must be hastily supplemented, causing the cooperation to stagnate, losing the reputation of the unit that consumes the products...

Supermarket LeaderBig CVinh believes that agricultural products in Nghe An province need to be improved and supplemented with many new elements so that they can be widely sold in the supermarket system. Photo: Quang An

Currently, although there are many agricultural products and specialties in Nghe An, in reality, only about 30 - 40% of the total products sold in BigC Vinh supermarket are brought to the market. There are many reasons for this problem, mainly due to legal documents, missing certificates, too many similar products, agricultural products in the province are still not competitive in terms of product quality and price compared to other provinces...

Mr. Tran An Khang - Supermarket DirectorBig CVinh

Producers ask questions to product purchasing units. Photo: Quang An.

At the Workshop, businesses, business households, and functional units had exchanges, discussions, and found solutions to bringNghe An agricultural productsincreasingly into supermarket systems. In particular, focusing on researching and applying State mechanisms and policies to build and promulgate mechanisms and policies for investment in developing commercial infrastructure in general and modern retail systems in particular in accordance with the economic development situation of the province.

Delegates visit booths displayed at the Workshop. Photo: Quang An

Districts, towns and cities conduct annual land use planning and land use plans to ensure land funds for developing modern retail systems, prioritize the selection of locations with suitable and favorable land funds to attract key investment projects, optimally exploit non-agricultural land funds or low-efficiency agricultural land to convert to commercial and service land; Attract and select investors with the capacity to organize professional business in the field of modern retail and financial capacity to implement investment projects and exploit business effectively... For enterprises, cooperatives and production households, focus on product quality, complete documents and papers before working with supermarket systems.