MM Mega Market to take Vietnamese agricultural products abroad

Thai-owned wholesaler MM Mega Market will help take Vietnamese agricultural products abroad

Your company recently signed a deal with CMM Marketing Management Pte., Ltd. (CMM Singapore) for agricultural exports. Could you please tell us about it?

According to the contract signed on August 21, MM Mega Market Vietnam will export fresh vegetables, mushroom, and fruit to Singapore through CMM Singapore to distribute at Sheng Siong Supermarket's 60 stores. Sheng Siong Supermarket is the third-largest retailer in Singapore.

This event lays the first foundation for our strategy to export Vietnamese agricultural products to Singapore. Singapore is the second market after Thailand where we will export Vietnamese agriculture products.

In September, we will export the first consignment to Singapore comprising of about 20 tonnes of items such as Da Lat bell pepper, sweet potato, and seedless lemon. It is expected that in 2019 we will export around 100 tonnes of Vietnamese agricultural products to Singapore. CMM is a large importer in Singapore and I believe that in the coming years the volume of Vietnamese agricultural products exported to this market will increase.

We are delighted that MM Mega Market continues to be the link bringing Vietnamese agricultural products to Singapore, a market with great potential and high standards.

MM Mega Market has been exporting Vietnamese agricultural products to Thailand since 2018. How have these exports been doing there?

2018 was the first year when MM Mega Market Vietnam exported Vietnamese agricultural products to Thailand. After a year of exporting Vietnamese agriproducts to the Thai Big C system and getting positive feedback from the market, we doubled the shipments in 2019 to around 200 tonnes a month.

The Vietnamese agricultural products we export to Thailand and other markets include frozen catfish, cuttlefish, milk fruit, dragon fruit, and pomelo.

Thailand is the first and Singapore is the second. Are there any other markets that MM Mega Market plans to export Vietnamese agricultural products?

We are in the process of surveying the Chinese market to export Vietnamese agricultural products in the future.

Agricultural products at MM Mega Market

Exporting agricultural products to foreign markets like Singapore or Thailand requires very strict quality and food safety standards. Can you share how the company products that meet export standards?

Our export strategy is built on solid groundwork thanks to a professional food platform and direct interactions with the farmers to ensure quality and varied supply. The company is running four platforms – one for fruits and vegetables in Da Lat, fish in Can Tho, pork in Dong Nai, and fruits in Ben Tre. These facilities not only supply our 19-store domestic system, but also provide quality products for exports.

All the vegetables and fruits for export to Singapore will be selected from the Da Lat and Ben Tre platforms. To ensure product quality and steady output, we have identified standard farms, organised training courses, and our agricultural engineers work closely with farmers throughout the production process.

After more than 10 years of developing a modern chain of production links to serve domestic and export needs, we are currently collaborating with nearly 300 farming households in three main areas in Lam Dong: Don Duong, Duc Trong, and Da Lat.

Covering a 250-hectare source area, every year, this depot is producing more than 12,000 tonnes of VietGAP-certified vegetables and fruits. Our Da Lat vegetable platform and Ben Tre fruit platform have been recognised as among the few food safety-qualified facilities that supply some of the best vegetables and fruits in Vietnam.

MM Mega Market also co-operates with Vietnamese government organisations to promote Vietnamese products in foreign markets. What activities does this entail?

On August 8, MM Mega Market signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade on facilitating connection and the sale of Vietnamese goods in MM's distribution system in Vietnam and supporting the exportation of Vietnamese goods in other foreign markets through the international distribution system of TCC Land International (Singapore) Pte., Ltd. and other subsidiaries of Berli Jucker Pcl. (the parent company of MM Mega Market Vietnam), and improving the quality of goods and services provided to domestic consumers.

One of the key purposes of this MoU is to enhance business opportunities and further accelerate the growth of MM to contribute to the development of Vietnam’s economy.

We also co-operate with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade to organise the Vietnamese Goods Week in Thailand, expected to take place on October 23 this year.