Consumers select vegetables grown under VietGAP standards at a Co.op mart in HCM City (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNA) – Businesses withgreen production processes and products that are safe and environmentallyfriendly perform better, heard a workshop held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 9.
The workshop, held by the HCM City Food andFoodstuff Association and the city’s Investment and Trade Promotion Centre,highlighted green products as the way of the future.
A Nielsen Vietnam survey shows that about 80percent of consumers in Vietnam are willing to pay more for products made ofenvironmentally friendly materials. About the same percentage are willing topay more for goods without ingredients they don’t want.
Green consumption and production towardssustainable development is a hot topic in many countries, including Vietnam.Environmentally friendly products are considered effective investments as theyboth benefit consumers’ health and minimise negative impacts on theenvironment, participants at the event heard.
Food processing is one of the four key industriesHCM City is focusing on developing.
Director of the municipal Department of Industryand Trade Pham Thanh Kien said in recent years, the city has helped foodprocessing companies apply new and advanced technologies to create high-qualityproducts.
Vu Thi Quyen, Deputy Director of HCM City’sTropical Agricultural Research and Consultancy Centre, said policies for greenagriculture are needed.
She added another important factor is consistentquality of all steps, from production to consumption, especially in productorigin control.
It is urgent to form concentrated materialsupplying areas and forge connectivity from production to consumption ofagricultural products that engages farmers, scientists and businesses. Thiswill help build a sustainable farming chain for each livestock and plantvariety through the application of standards throughout the chain, she said.
[Local consumer trends changing significantly]
Vice Chairman of the HCM City Food and FoodstuffAssociation Nguyen Phuc Khoa said green production will help enterprisesdevelop sustainably, raise their prestige among consumers, protect theenvironment and promote sustainable growth of the national economy.
However, the number of food companies usinggreen production technologies remains modest due to obstacles in machinery,manufacturing process and material supplies, he admitted.
The Government has approved a plan onagricultural restructuring towards higher added value and sustainabledevelopment, Khoa noted, adding that more solutions are needed to helpproducers practice environmentally friendly agriculture such as requiringgreenhouse gas emissions permits, assisting the research and application ofgreen technologies and imposing environmental protection taxes and fees.
Consumers’ awareness should also be improvedthrough labels, he said.-VNA
VNA
