Hanoi promotes agricultural processing and preservation technology

"We have invested in machinery and applied technology in processing and preserving agricultural products to ensure quality and food safety," said Dao Quang Vinh, Director of Vinh Anh Food Technology Joint Stock Company in Thuong Tin District.

In 2012, when Vinh Anh Food Technology Joint Stock Company's clean fresh meat processing plant officially started operations, it was considered the largest in the northern region of Vietnam at the time. 

"We are investing more than VND80 billion (US$3.3 million) in a modern meat processing line with technology transferred from France and China, which allows us to make products with high-quality standards," Vinh told The Hanoi Times.

Nearly ten years ago, Khuc Van Trong, a local in Phu Dong Commune (Gia Lam District), decided to set up the Phu Dong Cow Milk Processing Cooperative and invested VND5 billion (US$206,100) in a factory, machinery and equipment for milk processing.

Milk processing line at the Phu Dong Cow Milk Processing Cooperative in Gia Lam District. Photo courtesy of the cooperative

The closed production process has applied advanced processing technology to make good quality dairy products. The "Phu Dong Milk" brand is currently present in most supermarkets and large retail chains such as Winmart, Saigon Coo.op, Hapro, and so on.

According to Duong Phuong Mai, director of Song Dat Food Joint Stock Company in Thanh Tri District, her company has installed a system of automatic pork processing lines according to European standards to provide "clean - safe - traceable food" to consumers.

"The whole system is imported and installed under the guidance of European experts, with a capacity of over 70 tons of pork per day. To be self-sufficient in raw materials, we have built a VietGAP pig farming model in Dai Ang Commune with a capacity of 2,000 pigs," Mai told The Hanoi Times.

These are three of hundreds of agricultural and food processing facilities operating effectively in Hanoi. At present, the city has more than 250 large agricultural product processing enterprises and thousands of small and medium-sized food processing and preservation enterprises, according to Nguyen Thi Thu Hang, Director of the Hanoi Sub-Department of Agro-Forestry and Fisheries Quality Management.

"Hanoi has adopted mechanisms and policies to encourage investment in processing technology. The city has set a target that by 2025, 50% of processing enterprises will use modern machinery and apply high technology in product preservation in line with advanced quality management procedures," Hang said.

The process of mushroom harvesting at Kinoko Thanh Cao Company in Doc Tin Commune, My Duc District, Hanoi. Photo provided by the company

She stressed that to achieve the goal, Hanoi's agricultural sector is promoting the application of high technology, building raw material areas, and improving the processing capacity of agricultural products for enterprises.

Deputy Director of Hanoi's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Ta Van Tuong said the equipment and machinery of the city's agro-processing enterprises have been largely upgraded.

"The processing industry is an important link in the value chain of production - processing - consumption of agricultural products. Work on improving food safety, promoting trade, and linking domestic and foreign consumption has been carried out regularly and in various forms. This has contributed to ensuring the supply of agricultural products, ensuring the supply of goods, stabilizing the market, and curbing inflation in the capital," Tuong told The Hanoi Times.

He stressed that in the coming period, Hanoi's agricultural sector will support enterprises in infrastructure, equipment, machinery, and technology for processing, preservation, and consumption to improve competitiveness in the domestic market and export to foreign markets.