THE SITUATION OF PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF SAFE VEGETABLES IN THAI NGUYEN

Abstract

Thai Nguyen city has developed models for safe vegetable production following VietGAP standards and these models were certificated in 2010. However, the area is still small and scattered. Statistical data to 2014, the area of safe vegetables in the province is only 197 ha (2.74%) of the total of 7,176 hectares of vegetable land, which is concentrated mainly in Dong Hy district.

The survey of 200 consumers of different subjects in the area of Thai Nguyen showed that:

(1) Over 60% of consumers already had knowledge of the concept, benefits, and requirements for safe vegetables. However, there are 84.5% of above consumers stated that product is unsafe or they do not trust the quality of safe vegetables when valuating the quality of vegetables.

(2) The consumption trend mainly focuses on using leaf vegetables. In addition, main distribution channels are markets, street vendors, and gardens. Few people choose to buy vegetables in the supermarket because of their common consumption behavior and this distribution channel has the limited range of vegetable product.

(3) To promote safe vegetable production, it is necessary to put attention to propagation activities, production support, commitment to product quality. Furthermore, it is essential to diversify the products, open the prestigious outlets and publicly list product quality.