The plan is to grow enoughorganic vegetables and fruits in the district's three communes to supplynorthern and national markets – and create jobs and incomes for localpeople.
Project owner, Hanoi Investment and RuralDevelopment Co Ltd, will build rural roads, water pumping stations anddrainage systems, preparation sheds and other facilities.
Meanwhile, another programme to help farmers market their organicvegetables by giving the products licensed labels is underway in severalother areas in Hanoi .
Nguyen Hong Anh, deputyhead of Hanoi's Plant Protection Department, said the department isassisting 1,000 families in Van Duc commune in Gia Lam district underthis programme.
Hong Anh said with 250ha undercultivation, the commune is producing about 40-45 tonnes of organicvegetables a day, of which 70-75 percent were labelled.
The labelled organic products have been widely sold in Hanoi andother places including northern Hung Yen, Nam Dinh and Quang Ninhprovinces as well as central Da Nang City .
Hong Anh said labelled organic vegetables sell more quickly as consumers are more convinced of their quality.
The price of vegetables produced in Van Duc commune is higher thanother products of the same types in the market by 500-1,000 VND perkilogramme, he added.
The programme has also beenexpanded to two other communes, namely Thanh Tri district's Duyen Hacommune and Phuc Tho district's Thanh Da commune.
Hong Anh said the sales of organic vegetables will be promoted with the help of an online sales floor.
The website will update the price list of green products and take orders from consumers.
Hong Anh added that by 2014, labelling for organic vegetables will be made compulsory.
Tran Cong Thang, head of the Strategic Policy Section under theInstitute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture, said the currentsupply met only 14 percent of Hanoians’ demand for organic vegetables.-VNA