Recently, the Prime Minister issued a telegram requesting sectors and localities to support businesses in overcoming difficulties and promoting production and business activities with the spirit of putting people and businesses at the center. This is also what Quang Nam is trying to do to increase the "resistance" of businesses in the coming time.
BUSINESS THINKING IN THE INTEGRATION ERA
The business community and entrepreneurs of Quang Nam are gradually creating their own identity with creative business and production thinking. Facing challenges, the identity of Quang Nam people is expressed in the revealed business story.
Green transformation business
As a long-standing brick manufacturing enterprise, Phan Ngoc Anh Construction Materials Company Limited (Duy Xuyen) focuses on improving technology to minimize emissions into the environment.
In 2008, from a manual model, the company converted to a semi-automatic tunnel brick production line system. After that, the unit continued to invest in a robot system (nearly 100 billion VND) to replace workers in segments that directly contact the product.
Mr. Phan Ngoc Minh - Deputy Director of Phan Ngoc Anh Construction Materials Company Limited said that the conversion of the above technology and the replacement of fuel with standard coal has helped the company minimize emissions in the brick production process. This is an issue that the company is concerned about and plans to allocate funding very early because if it wants to develop, it must aim towards a sustainable production process.
“The green transformation program towards sustainable development is being launched by the Government with the goal of reducing emissions in Vietnam to zero by 2030 - Net to zero. For construction material manufacturing enterprises, this is a difficult problem. However, the unit is also trying to build a green environment to convert energy. Specifically, we have been “greening” the company with carbon-absorbing trees and preparing to solidify the entire factory roof and install a solar power system to reduce special consumption,” said Mr. Minh.
Green transformation - sustainable development is also being applied by many businesses in the province. Triet Minh Company Limited specializes in manufacturing products from Quang Nam medicinal herbs, investing in building a factory in Cho Lo Industrial Park (Tam Thai Commune, Phu Ninh), aiming at standards of environmental protection and renewable energy.
Paying attention to the working environment of workers and providing a scale to evaluate the carbon emissions of input materials and output products are criteria that many businesses are applying. In particular, businesses with export goods are particularly interested in this issue because currently, if the production process or input materials are assessed to have high emissions, it is likely that the product will not be imported to advanced countries in the world.
In the tourism sector - a strong field of Quang Nam, travel and accommodation businesses have shown their "personality" in persistently pursuing the goal of green development. Mr. Phan Xuan Thanh - General Director of Emic Hospitality Hoi An Company, Chairman of Quang Nam Tourism Association said that the responsibility to the community is being effectively implemented by a number of local tourism businesses, especially with green tourism models, community tourism...
At Emic Hospitality Hoi An Company, by renting rice fields from local people to organize parties on the fields, the value of the rice fields has been increased many times over. In addition, the participation of local people in the experience activities of guests in culinary events organized by the company also brings significant income to local people. This is also clearly seen in community tourism models such as Triem Tay, Cam Phu, Bho Hoong, or Hoi An craft village tourism models such as Thanh Ha pottery, Tra Que vegetables, Cu Lao Cham, Cam Thanh coconut forest, etc.
Businessman Quang strives to create a brand
The brand of Quang Nam businessmen is formed from the way they resolutely operate their businesses based on local foundations and seize opportunities in the market. On the 20th anniversary of Vietnam Businessmen's Day (October 13), Quang Nam businessmen have shaped their position in the process of socio-economic development in the locality.
A meeting to honor businesses and entrepreneurs who have fulfilled their financial obligations to the state and supported social security has just been organized by the Provincial People's Committee. This is considered a timely encouragement and support for the contributions of businesses to the socio-economic development of Quang Nam in 2024.
The contributions of businesses and entrepreneurs in Quang Nam are reflected in many aspects, from solving jobs, local labor, creating livelihoods, income for people, contributing to the state budget, implementing social activities, supporting people's lives... especially contributing to forming a team of leading businesses and entrepreneurs leading the economy to reach out to the world. Names such as THACO, Hoiana, Vinpearl Nam Hoi An or FDI enterprises investing in Quang Nam are typical examples that demonstrate their role and social responsibility.
The new development trend based on the local foundation, the model of connecting 3 parties (state, farmer, business) has been implemented by Quang Nam for a long time with specific solutions and orientations. This aims to improve the product value chain, bring convenience to businesses, stable income for people... Survey shows that most agricultural production enterprises, OCOP Quang Nam have signed cooperation agreements to link raw material sources with people. This linkage model is also expanded to many production and service fields to create a stable and effective supply value chain based on the Win-Win principle, both win and benefit.
Young Quang Nam businessman is enthusiastic and kind for his homeland
The Quang Nam Young Entrepreneurs Club is striving to build a dynamic, enthusiastic, and kind-hearted business community for the homeland of Quang Nam. This is an organization under the Quang Nam Business Association and a member of the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association with nearly 130 members. Along with production and business activities, over 5 years of operation, the club has organized many connecting and accompanying activities, as well as mobilized the cooperation of the business community to carry out many meaningful and practical volunteer and social security activities. ( TAM DAN )
Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Van Dung said that in the remarkable development of Quang Nam since the province's re-establishment, the contribution of the business community and entrepreneurs is extremely important. Especially, in the fields of social security, poverty reduction, volunteer activities... thanks to the contributions of the business community of Quang Nam.
“Quang Nam will be determined to accompany, actively support and create the most favorable conditions for the business community and entrepreneurs to feel secure in developing production and business, achieving many victories, contributing to the sustainable development of Quang Nam” - Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Van Dung said.
THE STORY OF THE "RETURN" OF A QUANG BUSINESSMAN
From the association, entrepreneurs far from home meet, exchange and create forums to share investment opportunities. In particular, from here, they all aim to support entrepreneurs and startups in their hometown to access new markets.
Investment Connection
Last July, the Quang Nam Festival in Ho Chi Minh City left many impressions in the hearts of expatriates. It was even more meaningful when, during this festival, the Southern Quang Nam Business Association - QNB coordinated with the Provincial People's Committee to organize an investment promotion seminar in Quang Nam with the participation of nearly 200 businessmen and fellow countrymen in the Southern region.
Mr. Huynh Van Cuu - General Secretary of QNB said that the event created the largest investment connection forum ever in Quang Nam province in Ho Chi Minh City. The fact that the provincial leaders came to the South to meet and call for investors to come to Quang Nam shows the province's welcome and spirit of welcoming businesses.
“With the strengths of natural conditions and investment environment of Quang Nam, right at the workshop, many businesses expressed their desire to invest in projects in the fields of medicinal herbs, tourism, real estate... And recently, we learned that these businesses have proactively gone to the locality to survey, work with specialized agencies to grasp information and make investment plans” - Mr. Cuu said.
Also at this workshop, Mr. Do Xuan Dien - Chairman of QNB called on businesses to invest in Quang Nam. According to him, his hometown still has a large space, converging all the conditions to develop agriculture, tourism, services and trade. After that workshop, Mr. Dien also pioneered a survey in Que Lam commune, Nong Son district to invest in a pig breeding farm project.
Mr. Nguyen Van Lanh - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nong Son district shared that the scale of this project is about 350 hectares with an investment cost of nearly 2,000 billion VND, applying circular farming technology. In addition to producing breeding pigs, the project will provide pork, animal feed based on local agricultural products and some imported raw materials from abroad.
“Currently, the project is in the survey phase, the investor reports to the provincial leaders that it will be implemented in 2025. If the project goes into production, it will be the largest scale ever in the Central region and will be an economic lever for the locality,” said Mr. Lanh.
Business Support
Along with investment promotion activities in their hometown, Quang Nam enterprises in the Southern region, with the advantage of operating in a large urban area and being a gateway for exporting goods to other countries, often connect and support businesses and start-up projects in their hometown. The Be thui Ong Be restaurant chain of businessman Nguyen Bang (from Duy Xuyen) has 3 locations in Ho Chi Minh City, with a large number of customers. This system only uses products from the hometown, especially products from start-up businesses such as fish sauce, Duy Hai fish sauce and Dai Loc rice paper.
“In addition to wanting to preserve the unique cuisine of Quang Nam, what I want is to support people in my hometown. Even though the prices are a little different from the common prices on the market, I and many other Quang Nam brothers who opened restaurants in the South are loyal to our hometown products,” Mr. Bang shared.
Businessman Tran Ngoc Dinh - Vice Chairman of the Quang Nam Association in Ho Chi Minh City said that he is promoting the investment in the Quang Nam OCOP and Startup Products Exhibition and Trade Center with the aim of "collecting" products and displaying, promoting and marketing to consumers in Ho Chi Minh City. This project is a stepping stone in the formation of a multinational trade system for Quang Nam products in particular and Vietnamese specialties in general.
With a transportation model similar to the current "technology motorbike taxi" companies, Mr. Dinh will organize a team of shippers to deliver goods to consumers through a private application. Taking advantage of this team, advertising communications will be carried out visually on uniforms, vehicles and direct marketing of local specialty products to customers through the hand-delivery process.
Mr. Dinh also cooperated with Hahalolo application - an e-commerce application in the US, to bring OCOP products and Vietnamese startups to this trading floor. He also just established a company and built a Vietnamese product trading center in Oklahoma City (California, USA).
“We will take care of all procedures, export processes, access to retail agents and logistics systems to bring Quang Nam products in particular and Vietnam in general to consumers across the US and neighboring countries in the near future,” Mr. Dinh added.
ECOSYSTEM OF SMALL AND MICRO-SMALL ENTERPRISES
From the startup movement, in recent years, Quang Nam has seen more and more small and micro enterprises appear, contributing to the formation of a widespread business ecosystem in the province.
Take the product far
Through domestic and international trade promotion and advertising activities, we have created motivation and opportunities for businesses to develop, bring products to the world, contribute to shaping the brand, and affirm their position in the market.
At the end of September, Quy Thu Production and Trading Company Limited (Que Son) exported 1.5 tons of baked coconut cakes to the Netherlands market (through a distributor). This is also the 5th order that Quy Thu has provided to partners, paving the way for the company's products to enter the European market. Along with Korea and China, the Netherlands has become the next foreign market where Quy Thu's baked coconut cakes are present.
From the story of "going offshore" of this local product, there will be a good opportunity for agricultural products and OCOP of Quang Nam enterprises to enter demanding markets in Europe and the world.
As of September 2024, the whole province has 407 products granted OCOP certificates by 325 organizations, units, and enterprises, most of which are small and micro (43 enterprises, 118 cooperatives, cooperatives, 164 production households).
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, some Quang Nam OCOP products have gradually approached the world market, even exporting in large quantities such as braised mackerel, frog Quang noodles, and Ba Ba Hoi banh chung (Tam Ky). This trend has gradually become popular as trade promotion programs have taken place widely, creating conditions for many agricultural and aquatic product production enterprises and OCOP enterprises to bring goods and products far and wide.
Mr. Huong Van Minh - Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade shared that because most of Quang Nam enterprises are small and micro-sized, the unit prioritizes supporting enterprises to bring goods to the market through trade promotion and advertising activities, thereby helping enterprises increase access to partners and trade connections. Almost after each promotional event, fair, etc., Quang Nam enterprises approach new customers.
In addition to promotional activities and trade promotion, Quang Nam enterprises' goods also have the opportunity to reach out to the world market by taking advantage of preferential benefits from free trade agreements (FTAs), especially for agricultural, forestry and fishery products.
Accompanying businesses
For many years, Quang Nam has issued mechanisms to remove obstacles, promote trade, and create conditions for market connection for businesses in the fields of agriculture, forestry, and fishery.
A representative of the Department of Industry and Trade said that every year, this unit organizes about 10 domestic and international trade promotion programs for businesses to participate in. The activities mainly focus on businesses producing typical rural industrial products, OCOP, craft villages, agricultural products, etc.
According to Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ho Quang Buu, in the socio-economic development structure of the province, in addition to industrial and mechanical engineering groups, the agricultural, forestry and fishery group plays a quite important role. Quang Nam sets a target of striving for the export value of agricultural, forestry and fishery groups to reach 300 million USD by 2025, accounting for about 6% of the province's economic structure GRDP by 2030.
To realize this goal, Quang Nam has recently issued many incentive mechanisms, creating many favorable conditions for businesses such as planning fruit tree material areas, planting new and reforesting forests annually (about 30,400 hectares); maintaining the output of exploited aquatic products (about 100 thousand tons/year), aquaculture (25 thousand tons, including 19 thousand tons of farmed shrimp)...
In particular, focus on promoting the development of the startup and innovation ecosystem, developing diverse OCOP products, typical rural industrial products, forming leading enterprises with branded products, affirming their position and standing in the market.
According to Mr. Ho Quang Buu, businesses currently need more companionship and support, because most of Quang Nam's agricultural products are consumed in small quantities or exported through unofficial channels. Because they do not meet legal regulations (from the production stage to the planting area certification stage) and the scale of production enterprises is mostly small or micro, the application of science and technology, investment capital is still limited, while distribution enterprises connecting supply and demand have not been formed; lack of connectivity, low competitiveness... are important factors that need to be overcome for businesses to bring their products far and wide...
DON'T LET BUSINESSES BE DISCOURAGED
Hiep Thuan Agricultural Cooperative (Thuan An village, Hiep Thuan commune, Hiep Duc) is the first unit in Vietnam to purchase storm index insurance to prevent risks that may occur to planted forest areas during the storm season.
The press has talked a lot about pioneering to reduce that risk. The other day I sat down and asked Mr. Nguyen Huu Duong - Director of Hiep Thuan Agricultural Cooperative, the journey to get to the signing ceremony was a long one, but what I remember most is that he said: "Farmers don't need to know who to sign with or how, they just trust me."
Make farmers believe
It is not easy to say that. It is like "a crossroads". To be able to do as Mr. Duong does, in addition to determination, there must also be love for the job, responsibility and heart for the people, because if it is successful, it is good, if not, "a hundred mulberry trees fall on the silkworm's head".
Looking at it, you see the prestige and reputation, but it's not just that, as he said, "answering the press requires fluent speech, but in reality there are many tiring things."
Businesses like his cooperative are small and medium sized. When I said that support packages have mostly gone to large businesses, small and medium sized businesses have rarely received them, he nodded.
“Preferential capital is not easy to access. I borrowed from the Cooperative Union, but the limit is low, the disbursement is not much, but the recovery period is fast. I want to mortgage the cooperative but I don’t know where to get the loan,” said Nguyen Huu Duong.
“Why?” I asked.
“All the capital is private, so I only know how to get red books from individuals. The lender is interested in forest land, the loan amount is 30 million VND/hectare. I have 15 books with an area of 15 hectares. They appraised it at 1 billion VND, but when I went to borrow, I only got 500 million VND.”
“Why?” I said.
“I don’t know! After that, they only disbursed 200 million. When the Provincial People’s Council came to work, I presented it, so 6 months later they lent another 300 million. How could I not accept it? Meanwhile, if I borrowed from WB3, I would get 20 million/ha, the application procedure is simple, and I would enjoy the interest rate for poor households” - Nguyen Huu Duong replied.
That is, the story of procedures and mechanisms here is too complicated. "So can the mechanism help, especially when your cooperative is cultivating and processing according to a circular economic chain, a green process?" - I asked again.
Mr. Duong answered in one breath: “I tell you the truth, following the mechanism is death. It's a waste of time. It's very well said above, but if you directly witness the path to accessing capital from the mechanism, then the procedures on environment, fire prevention, inspection, and examination, you will see how miserable businesses are. If the government really understands how businesses are suffering in the land - capital - procedure environment, it will see that the money the government spends to support is often useless, with little spillover effect in society. So I work for every penny I have, not relying on policies and mechanisms. The government's mechanism only has a supporting effect.”
Businesses have difficulty accessing capital
Talking about capital for small and medium enterprises, they have difficulty accessing it because of their limited resources, material resources, and human resources. And if they are small, their voice will hardly have any weight in this day and age.
The lender is the bank that always "looks out" to reduce risks, even though the loan is profitable, even though the policy from top to bottom is to create this or that favorable conditions.
But to get a loan, as Mr. Duong said, it costs… water, that is, money, and many doors, not just one fixed door. Whoever says that this one-door mechanism is convenient and quick, that is just on paper.
Mr. Duong continued to share: "The current mechanism for small and medium enterprises is like putting corn kernels (the mechanism) in a bottle and leading a chicken (the enterprise) around to peck at."
For many years, preferential loans have never been disbursed as expected, and the conclusion is “super familiar”: Complicated procedures! Knowing the disease but not having a specific medicine, or not treating it properly, so the patient becomes “immune” to the medicine, the patient gets bored and doesn’t bother to treat it anymore.
On the people's side, like Hiep Thuan Agricultural Cooperative, people only care about profit, they don't care about the path you take, the ultimate problem is what do they benefit from?
When the leader proves it and has something concrete, they will believe. Once they believe, they will look back and see that it is the right path. There is capital support. There are farming techniques with instructions. There is risk insurance. There is a stable output in terms of both the source of products sold and the price. There is an abundant source of raw materials. They will trust and go with you. Like in this cooperative, the consensus is very high. That is an advantage for everyone to work together.
Looking at a legitimate business, it is easy to see the fatigue that is hard to hide behind the cheerfulness and generosity. They carry the responsibility of leading, sometimes it seems too much. They have to face all kinds of difficulties, but they cannot not do it, because it is the money they spend, they cannot stand by and watch it… evaporate. They must establish the right process and the ability to withstand the constant pressure, otherwise they will go bankrupt.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no need to repeat how the difficult business operations have affected the internal strength of the economy. Understanding the value of businesses and truly opening the door to doing business easily, in accordance with the law, respecting their interests, not taking advantage of the state label to profit from them... Doing all of those things correctly and sufficiently, maybe there will be no more endless complaints.
Content: VINH LOC - PHAN VINH - GIA KHANG - MOC MIEN
Presented by: MINH TAO
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/doanh-nghiep-doanh-nhan-xu-quang-cung-nhau-vuot-chong-gai-3142682.html
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