Also buy expensive, as long as it is good for your health

Walking through modern supermarkets like Lotte Mart, Emart, MM Mega Market, SaigonCo.op… we found many places with separate shelves for organic products for consumers to choose from. The common characteristics of the organic products sold here are beautiful designs, packaging and QR codes that allow consumers to easily trace the origin, such as organic vegetables and fruits from Vinamit, DannyGreen, Happy Vegi, etc. Vietnam Safe Vegetables Cooperative, Viet Nhat Laughing Vegetables…

Present at Lotte Mart Go Vap (HCMC) at the exact time Mrs. Doan Hong Thanh decided to buy vegetables for her family. Ms. Thanh said she often chooses organic vegetables and fruits to prepare dishes for her children and grandchildren. “My husband and I are both retired, we can’t eat much when we’re old, so I often choose safe foods, especially I like organic products because I can keep the taste as fresh as my home. Cultivated in the past, it is good for health, and on weekends you can cook nutritious and quality food for the kids.

Knowing the price will be higher than other species, a bunch of water spinach, VietGAP amaranth weighing 300g costs about 15,000-25,000 VND, organic vegetables may cost 30,000-35,000 VND/300g. But what’s your money? I accept a higher price as long as the product is truly organic. Health is most important. I usually buy organic products in big supermarkets and some health food stores. It is better to eat less but with quality,” Ms. Thanh said.

Ms. Thanh Tam, who lives in Thu Duc District (HCMC), said she always chooses DannyGreen’s gourd to cook porridge for her 10-month-old daughter. “This variety of pumpkin has a delicious, sweet flavor. When I cook porridge for my baby, all I have to do is add a little salt to make a delicious bowl of porridge. I’ve heard that this squash is imported from abroad and grown using organic methods, so I’m quite reassured, sometimes boiled and eaten with the skin,” Ms. Tam said.

I asked Ms. Tam: “Do you understand what organic products are?”. She didn’t hesitate to say: “I stay at home to take care of my kids so I just need to find food and cook for my kids so I have a lot of time to go online to research what’s good and what is not. I roughly understand if I grow organic, don’t use chemical chemicals, don’t use antibiotics, say no to genetic engineering… Not only does it create fresh and delicious products, but it also protects the environment, protects the ecosystem. However, the price for average earners is also a bit high,” says Tam with a smile.

To practice organic farming you have to be patient

Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Vien, director of Huong Dat Production – Trading – Service Co.,Ltd with Happy Vegi brand of vegetables, has consistently pursued organic farming for more than 10 years. Up to now, Happy Vegi has grown its size with farms in Ho Chi Minh City (5,000 m2), Mang Den – Kon Tum (18,000 m2), Mang Canh – Kon Tum (42,000 m2), Dak Nong (18,000 m2), Ms Ria – Vung Tau (5,000 m2), Phu Yen (10,000 m2) specializes in growing more than 30 varieties of vegetables and fruits through seasonal organic methods.

“When we offered Happy Vegi vegetables in grocery stores in 2012, we were rejected because the price was too high. At that time, the price of other vegetables was only 10,000 VND/kg, while Happy Vegi vegetables cost 60,000 VND/kg to make a profit. It took a long time for Happy Vegi to convince retailers and customers.

Up to now, Happy Vegi is supplying organic products to grocery stores in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, especially at Tu Te Green Market, Emarrt, Aeon, CoopXtra, Go, TopsMarket, Big C…,” Ms. Vien said.

Happy Vegi grows vegetables and tubers in harmony with nature by rebalancing the ecological environment in crop production; Pest control by natural methods, particularly strictly adhere to the 6 “no” principle: do not use pesticides and herbicides; do not plant on soil and water bodies contaminated with agrochemicals; do not use growth stimulants; do not use chemical fertilizers, do not use genetically modified varieties, do not use preservatives.

Happy Vegi’s products have full traceability information, consumers can scan the QR code, bringing peace of mind to modern users and large supermarket systems in Ho Chi Minh City.

As one of the units dedicated to providing organic vegetable products (leafy greens, herbs of all kinds) for Lotte Mark supermarket system, grocery stores, farmers markets of Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Veg vegetable cooperative (VietVeg) in Can Duoc district has specialized, Long An Province invested 3 ha in the cultivation of organic vegetables.

Every day VietVeg delivers to the market about 300 kg of all kinds of organic vegetables, such as water spinach, osmanthus, perilla, lettuce, coriander, onions … The production is not much.

Sometimes the vegetables are beautiful, but sleeping one night, in the garden the next day, the leaves are all cored. Therefore, workers in the pre-processing stage also need to choose carefully whether they can supply to supermarkets and grocery stores with strict requirements of quality standards and food safety,” Ms. Lan said.

Lan also said that for organic vegetables, all stages from sowing to harvesting are strictly controlled and closed to ensure nutritional value, optimal yield and specific properties. Above all, no pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, instead, there are homemade organic products out Lemongrass, Chili, Eucalyptus, Essential Oils…

“A lot of people ask what to sell without spraying vegetables? In fact, the production is still low, not enough to feed them, but I’m still trying to persevere and hope that more members of the cooperative will get involved in growing organic vegetables to increase production and supply the market. My goal is for everyone to be able to eat organic vegetables,” said Nguyen Thi Lan, director of the Viet Safe Vegetables Cooperative.

In the future the demand for organic food will increase, this is also a big challenge for cooperatives and companies if they really want to invest in organic farming. The organic food sector will be trendy and will grow strongly in the coming years.

Hai Au Agricultural Development Joint Stock Company (Seagull ADC) in Ho Chi Minh City is an entity specializing in high-tech agricultural production and organic farming since 2012, with two main products: cantaloupe melon and pumpkin, peas from Japanese seed sources and organically grown. Seagull ADC products have achieved GlobalGAP certification and Organic JAS certification (JAS Organic Standard of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries).

According to Mr. Tran Phong Lan, CEO of Seagull ADC, organic production is very difficult, but without overcoming difficulties and changes, it is impossible to improve the quality of Vietnamese agricultural products, vegetables and fruits.

“Through many failed harvests, faced with many difficulties and challenges from harsh weather to infestations of pests and diseases, pollution of soil and water sources…, the team of engineers of our agriculture continues to pursue the direction of organic production, keeping the Nutritional value and food safety are paramount, which is why we say a firm “no” to chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides.

Vietnamese consumers absolutely deserve to use organic agricultural products to ensure public health and develop future generations. Vietnam is fully capable of developing into an advanced agricultural powerhouse with high-quality, organic agricultural products exported to the world,” said Mr. Tran Phong Lan.