Vietnamese farm produce shines at Rungis International Market

It took the Ministries of Industry and Trade, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Hanoi Promotion Agency one year of preparation for the event to take place, marking the first large-scale introduction of Vietnamese agricultural products to French importers.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the event, Stéphane Layani, President and Director General of the Rungis International Market, praised the quality of Vietnamese farm produce, particularly lychees, dragon fruit and coconuts.

He said he believes the products will be a hit in France and also Europe and other parts of the world.

Vietnam can be considered an agricultural power but it lacks a large wholesale market to distribute products, he said, noting that Rungis is a trustworthy location for Vietnamese farm produce to reach European consumers.

Layani said Rungis is willing to cooperate with Hanoi to build a wholesale market meeting European standards.

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung said the model of the Rungis market, which spans over 230 hectares, records 9 billion EUR in annual revenue and offers top quality farm produce, can be applied in Vietnam, particularly Hanoi.

He stated Hanoi wants to work with Semmaris, the company that manages the Rungis International Market, to study the feasibility of investing in a wholesale market in Hanoi following the Rungis model.

The event, featuring a space of Vietnamese culinary delights cooked by French chef Didier Corlou, received a warm welcome from visitors.

Vietnam’s fruit, vegetables and seafood are now available across 180 countries and territories. Earning US$36 billion from agro-forestry-fishery exports in 2017, Vietnam was ranked among 15 biggest exporters of the products in the world.