Mai Tinh Thuy (right) studies the model in Sia town.

Fate with clean agricultural products

Born and raised in Kim Long, Hue city, Mai Tinh Thuy (born in 1990) has a special love for nature and trees. Thuy soon realized the importance of clean food for health.

Mai Tinh Thuy said that her mother is a dedicated person, always paying attention to choosing clean food for the family. The family's daily meals are always prepared by her from fresh, safe ingredients. She often goes to reputable clean vegetable growers, or grows some vegetables in her own garden to ensure food safety for the whole family.

The image of her mother meticulously selecting each type of food has been imprinted in Thuy's mind since she was a child. Her love for clean agricultural products gradually formed from there. Not only loving safe products, but also wanting to learn about how to create them, that is the reason she registered to study veterinary animal husbandry at Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry. And fate brought her closer to clean agricultural products, when she participated in part-time activities at the Farmers' Association of Huong Long Ward, then became Vice President of the Farmers' Association of the Ward.

During her time working with the Farmers' Association, Tinh Thuy had the opportunity to interact with many agricultural models in the area, learning more good practices from local people from planting techniques to market development. In 2023, with the support of the Saemaul Foundation of Korea in Vietnam, Thuy and other members contributed capital to establish the Huong Long Saemaul Agricultural Service Cooperative. As the Director of the Cooperative, Thuy seemed to have been given wings to produce clean agricultural products.

Realizing the dream of clean agricultural products

With an agricultural development area and headquarters area of ​​nearly 17,000m2, in the first phase, the Saemaul project supported many materials for cooperative activities such as: tractors, trucks, greenhouse systems..., thereby reducing some of the initial investment costs of the cooperative.

Thuy said: “In the early stages of putting the cooperative into operation, the cooperative members and I faced many difficulties. Not only did we lack experience and capital, but we also had to face social barriers. However, the encouragement of the aunts and uncles in the cooperative establishment committee and the cooperative members helped me a lot in shaping my direction.”

To realize the goal, Thuy and the cooperative members started with common vegetables and tubers such as chrysanthemum greens, Malabar spinach, squash, pumpkin, etc. and promoted production according to a sustainable, environmentally friendly model.

“Every month, four times a month, the members of the cooperative and I regularly collect agricultural by-products from Dong Ba market and compost them with biological products to produce organic fertilizer for plants. The cooperative also requires people to commit to not using pesticides or chemical fertilizers, and regularly monitor and inspect people's growing processes. Thanks to that, the cooperative's vegetable growing area has been certified for safe production," Tinh Thuy said.

After one year of operation, although the revenue is not high, Huong Long Saemaul Agricultural Service Cooperative has gradually affirmed its position in the market. Currently, the cooperative's vegetable products are available at some reputable stores in the area.

Talking about future plans, Thuy shared that, along with expanding the vegetable growing area, the cooperative will invest in developing safe livestock farming models in the near future. In addition, the cooperative plans to promote the development of experiential tourism models, turning the cooperative space into a clean agricultural product experience area for people, especially students at primary and secondary schools in the area, instilling in them a love for nature and clean agricultural products. Along with that, the cooperative also maintains the collection and production of fertilizers from agricultural by-products, both serving the cooperative and supplying the market.

Mr. Duong Ngoc Phuoc, lecturer at Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, who directly consulted on the development of the cooperative, said that during the process of working with the cooperative, I understood Thuy's passion for clean agricultural products as well as her desire to accompany people in building the Huong Long clean agricultural product brand. With a progressive spirit and passion for work, Thuy participated in many courses and went to the field to learn about agricultural models in many localities. This will be an important foundation to help Thuy and the cooperative succeed in the future.


Article and photos: Hoang Anh

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/kinh-te/nong-nghiep-nong-thon/giam-doc-hop-tac-xa-me-nong-san-sach-152308.html