Focus on collective economic development

After the 2023 Prime Minister's Dialogue with Farmers Conference, the Vietnam Farmers' Union at all levels focused on promoting activities to guide and support members and farmers to participate in developing collective economic forms in agriculture and rural areas; cooperatives, production cooperatives applying high technology and digital transformation.

Bright spots of cooperative models established by the Farmers' Association through propaganda, mobilization, guidance and support

Long Thanh Phat High-Tech Agricultural Cooperative in Long Thanh District, Dong Nai Province is one of 63 outstanding cooperatives nationwide in 2024 that has just been selected and commended by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union. Notably, among the 63 outstanding cooperatives nationwide in 2024, Long Thanh Phat Agricultural Cooperative has the largest revenue of over 200 billion VND.

Sharing with PV of Dan Viet Newspaper about the cooperative model, Mr. Le Van Quyet - Director of Long Thanh Phat High-Tech Agricultural Cooperative excitedly said: Our cooperative is a pioneer in high-tech livestock farming and chicken export. The cooperative's chicken products meet the standards for export to Japan as well as demanding markets.

Mr. Le Van Quyet - Director of Long Thanh Phat High-Tech Agricultural Cooperative shared about the high-tech chicken farming and chicken export model.

According to Mr. Le Van Quyet, with the support, propaganda, mobilization and support of the Farmers' Association at all levels, in recent times, the Cooperative has promoted the application of science and technology in animal husbandry. Accordingly, the Cooperative's chicken farm has invested in conveyor systems to help automatically catch chickens and collect manure. In addition, the livestock production line also uses cold running technology, biotechnology and the application of biological enzymes to deodorize, ensuring environmental hygiene.

"Currently, the total chicken flock of Long Thanh Phat high-tech agricultural cooperative is nearly 2 million chickens. If raising chickens normally, it would require more than 300 workers to work continuously, however, thanks to the application of high technology, the cooperative only needs 100 workers, on average each person can raise about 30,000 chickens" - Mr. Le Van Quyet shared.

Thanks to its operational innovation, Pham An Agricultural Products Production and Consumption Service Cooperative (Pham An Agricultural Cooperative) in Hung Thi Commune, Lac Thuy District (Hoa Binh) has demonstrated its strengths and become a strong economic entity in the locality. This is also one of the 63 typical cooperatives nationwide in 2024 selected by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union.

Growing bitter melon according to VietGAP standards, members of Pham An Agricultural Cooperative have a good income. Photo: Tue Linh.

Mr. Pham Van Toan - Director of Pham An Agricultural Cooperative said: The Cooperative was established on the basis of the Lemongrass Growing Professional Association and converted into a Cooperative according to the provisions of the 2012 Cooperative Law. Currently, the Cooperative is organizing production according to VietGAP standards; including 30 hectares of vegetables, tubers, fruits and 40 hectares of lemongrass.

According to Mr. Toan, thanks to the production of vegetables, tubers and fruits according to VietGAP standards, members and associated households are very excited. Because all products of the cooperative have contracts to purchase with businesses and small traders at major wholesale markets.

Actively implement Decision No. 182 of the Prime Minister

Mr. Nguyen Tien Cuong - Member of the Standing Committee, Acting Head of the Central Economic Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union said: Implementing the policies of the Party, State and Government in recent years, the Vietnam Farmers' Union has always identified participating in the development of collective economy and cooperatives as one of the key tasks of the Union.

The Association at all levels has actively promoted, mobilized, supported and guided members and farmers to participate in the development of collective economy and cooperatives and achieved many important results, effectively supporting the development of household economy, contributing to economic restructuring, hunger eradication, poverty reduction, and job creation for members and farmers.

In particular, the Vietnam Farmers' Union has coordinated with relevant ministries and agencies to advise the Prime Minister to issue Decision No. 182/QD-TTg dated February 20, 2024, approving the Project on the Vietnam Farmers' Union participating in collective economic development in agriculture until 2030 with the goal of consulting and supporting the establishment of at least 250 new cooperatives (HTX), 1,500 cooperative groups (THT) in agriculture by 2025; consolidating and improving the quality and efficiency of operations for at least 750 agricultural cooperatives established by the Farmers' Union at all levels through propaganda, mobilization and guidance.

Comrade Phan Nhu Nguyen - Alternate member of the Party Central Committee, Vice President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union and Comrade Bui Thi Thom - Vice President of the Central Executive Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union awarded the Logo and Certificate to outstanding agricultural cooperatives nationwide in 2024.

This is the first Project to concretize the implementation of Resolution No. 46-NQ/TW dated December 20, 2023 of the Politburo on innovation and improving the quality of activities of the Vietnam Farmers' Union to meet the requirements of revolutionary tasks in the new period.

"Decision No. 182 of the Prime Minister is a very important legal basis and corridor for the Vietnam Farmers' Union at all levels to organize and promote its role in participating in the development of collective economy in agriculture," Mr. Nguyen Tien Cuong emphasized.

Pursuant to Decision No. 182 of the Prime Minister, the Central Standing Committee of the Association issued Plan No. 16-KH/HNDTW, dated March 8, 2024 on the implementation of Decision 182 of the Prime Minister.

The Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union and the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance signed a Coordination Program on participating in supporting the development of collective economy in agriculture for the period 2024 - 2030. At the same time, the Central Committee of the Union focused on directing and guiding all levels of the Union to actively implement the Resolution of the Central Executive Committee of the Union on "Vietnam Farmers' Union participates in the development of collective economy in agriculture and rural areas for the period 2020 - 2025".

Mr. Nguyen Tien Cuong said: To promote the development of collective economy, the Vietnam Farmers' Union at all levels has focused on building models of professional Farmers' Union branches and groups operating according to the "5 self" and "5 together" methods, contributing to promoting the process of participating in the development of collective economy and cooperatives.

Up to now, the whole country has 3,645 Professional Farmers Association branches with 112,594 members, 36,363 Professional Farmers Association groups with 482,362 members.

This is an action unit, a bridge between the Association's grassroots and farmer members, thereby gathering and attracting members and farmers to participate in economic development cooperation, cooperation and association in production and business, creating a premise for the development of cooperative groups and cooperatives in agriculture.

Clean vegetable growing model following circular agriculture direction of farmers in Lam Dong province. Photo: Van Long

At the same time, the Association at all levels promotes propaganda and mobilization activities; supports training and human resource development; supports trade promotion and market expansion; supports the application of new science, technology and techniques; supports capital through group projects of households belonging to cooperatives and farmers' cooperatives; coordinates with banks and credit institutions to entrust unsecured loans to help member households and farmers who are members of cooperatives and cooperatives develop the collective economy.

Notably, in 2024, the Central Executive Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union launched the emulation movement "Cadres and farmer members actively participate in developing collective economy in agriculture" with many important contents.

At the same time, the Vietnam Farmers' Association continues to maintain and regularly organize annual ceremonies to honor and commend outstanding cooperatives nationwide to promptly encourage cooperatives in conjunction with preliminary and final summaries, visits, learning, and replication and dissemination of increasingly developed cooperative models.

Through the activities of the Association at all levels, nearly 570,000 farmer households have participated in group projects to build production and business models, contributing to the construction and establishment of over 23,000 effective collective economic models, including over 3,800 cooperatives and over 19,000 cooperative groups.

The average annual revenue of the cooperative reached over 5.5 billion VND, profit reached 350 million VND; the average income of each member reached 51.5 million VND/year; over 700 cooperatives have products meeting OCOP standards of 3 stars or more (accounting for nearly 20%).

In particular, after the Prime Minister's Dialogue Conference with Farmers, the Association at all levels has propagated and mobilized 485,840 farmer members to join cooperative groups and cooperatives; supported, consulted and guided the establishment of 332 new cooperatives and 1,542 cooperative groups in agriculture.

Models of cooperation in organizing production and business associated with value chains, production according to food safety standards and VietGAP standards are increasing.

"The above figures clearly reflect the Association's role in participating in collective economic development according to the Party and State's policies and guidelines," Mr. Nguyen Tien Cuong emphasized.

Over the past 4 years, the Vietnam Farmers' Union at all levels has provided capital support to household groups with more than 9,000 projects (scale of 300-500 million/project) from the Farmers' Support Fund with a total outstanding loan of over 15,000 billion VND; implemented credit guarantees with banks and credit institutions to entrust loans to more than 3 million households with a total outstanding loan of over 140,000 billion VND; coordinated with enterprises and non-governmental organizations to support preferential credit with nearly 11,000 billion VND to build models of cooperative economic development, household economy, farms, and family farms.

Source: https://danviet.vn/after-the-prime-minister-meeting-with-farmers-in-2023-don-luc-cho-phat-trien-kinh-te-tap-the-20241030230133944.htm