Quality improvement for Traditional markets

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A stall sells rice at Bien Hoa market.

According to the hierarchy of markets, there is a wholesale market in the province (Dau Giay agricultural product wholesale market in Thong Nhat District), 9 first-class markets, 30 second-grade markets and 126 third-grade markets. In particular, there are 40 markets in urban areas, 120 markets in rural areas.

Developing food safety selling points

With the rapid development of supermarkets, shopping centers, convenience stores, etc., in order to improve competitiveness, traditional markets need to be upgraded, creating a tidy environment, ensuring food safety and hygiene... to maintain their position.

In recent years, the Department of Industry and Trade has conducted a pilot building to ensure food safety at Hoa An market (Bien Hoa City). In addition, 41 markets in the province invested and upgraded under the Lifsap project of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development have gradually built and expanded the pilot market model to ensure food safety. In particular, if markets have safe food areas, fresh food areas are separated from the processed food area and other goods areas. Food counters and stalls are designed and built according to uniform specifications and materials; Materials used must be durable, easy to clean, etc.

According to the Department of Industry and Trade, 84% of the province's markets have food safety inspection teams at markets that have been established by competent authorities. However, there are still 16% of markets still have not seriously implemented the issuance of establishment decisions according to regulations.

Strengthening the propaganda for small businesses

In fact, traditional markets still have certain advantages to compete with distribution channels such as supermarkets, shopping centers, convenience stores such as lower rent costs, many "amicable sale" items with consumers, etc. However, if there is no innovation in the way of serving, listing prices, the traditional retail model will have difficulty in competing with the modern retail model.

The traditional retail model needs to be organized, upgraded, creating a tidy environment, changing product structure, especially ensuring food safety and hygiene...to suit the integration trends in order to appeal to consumers.

Mr. Nguyen Van Ba, Director of Tan Long Cooperative, the management unit of Long Binh Tan Market (Bien Hoa City) said that the market has many propaganda activities for small businesses to ensure the quality of food hygiene and safety, changing service style so that consumers do not "turn their backs".

Mr. Nguyen Danh Thinh, Director of Phuong Lam Commercial - Service Cooperative, Head of Phuong Lam Market Management (Tan Phu District) said that besides deploying safe food businesses, in the past time, the market also regularly strengthened the propaganda to small businesses about healthy business practices, service attitude, hygiene, and origin to improve the competitiveness of traditional retail stores and stalls.

Similarly, Deputy Head of Long Thanh Market Management Board (Long Thanh District) Pham Duc Nam said that the market often cooperated with Department of Industry and Trade, Dong Nai Market Management Department, etc., to organize training programs on business skills for small businesses, developing more safe food stalls, propagating to small businesses about clear price listing, improving service quality, etc.

In recent years, to help the traditional market "stand" in the context of a thriving modern shopping channel, the Department of Industry and Trade has organized many training courses on sales skills, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to build safe food selling points.

Mr. Luc Van Thuy, Head of Commercial Management Department (Department of Industry and Trade), said that in the coming time, the Department has plans to upgrade and build more traditional markets, especially in rural areas so that people have more choices when buying goods, especially for safe food and hygiene channels and points.

By Phan Anh