Removing outlet for Dien Bien agricultural products

With many efforts from authorities at all levels, the province's agricultural sector has seen many improvements, but the quantity and quality of agricultural products are still open.

Many key products are taking shape

Dien Bien province has a natural area of ​​over 9,541km², of which agricultural production area accounts for more than 75%, equivalent to about 120,000ha. Dien Bien has favorable natural conditions, diverse climate, and land suitable for many types of crops.

In order to improve agricultural products in the area, Ms. Chu Thi Thanh Xuan - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dien Bien province said that in recent years, the province has focused on restructuring the agricultural sector, orienting the development of key products such as rice, coffee, macadamia, tea; Developing commodity agriculture according to sustainable linkage chains; promoting the application of science and technology, improving productivity and product quality, towards clean and sustainable agriculture.

"The goal by 2025 is to restructure the agriculture and forestry sector to account for over 14% of the province's GRDP. The production value of 1 hectare of cultivated land will increase by 15% or more. To achieve the goal, one of the province's main activities is to build and replicate high-tech agricultural models. Develop OCOP products (one commune, one product). Strengthen trade promotion and expand the consumption market for products" - Ms. Xuan said.

In recent years, Dien Bien has focused on restructuring the agricultural sector, orienting the development of key products such as rice, coffee, macadamia, and tea; developing commodity agriculture according to sustainable linkage chains. Photo: Do ​​Nga

In addition, the province's support policies for agricultural development are currently relatively adequate. In addition to financial support, the province also strengthens certification, assigning growing area codes, and geographical indications to agricultural products.

Thanks to the drastic policies, the province's agricultural sector has achieved remarkable results. The province has established large-scale coffee and tea growing areas such as in some districts such as Tuan Giao and Muong Ang. Enterprises and cooperatives will have the conditions to develop production, ensure standards and increase the added value of agricultural products.

“Up to now, Dien Bien has produced 104 agricultural products, 72 products have achieved OCOP certification, including 5 4-star products, 67 3-star products and special products. People's income has gradually increased” – Ms. Xuan informed.

As evidence, one of the districts that has become a bright spot for coffee and tea in the province is Muong Ang district. Muong Ang coffee is increasingly asserting its position in the Vietnamese coffee market, with remarkable results in terms of area, scale, quality and attention from local authorities and businesses.

Sharing with Cong Thuong Newspaper about the situation of coffee and tea production in the district, Mr. Nguyen Phung Thong - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Muong Ang district said that since 2007 when Muong Ang district was established, the district has identified coffee as the main industrial crop of the district. After a process of development efforts, the current coffee growing area of ​​the district has reached a total area of ​​3,015 hectares; the harvested area is 2,193 hectares; the basic construction area is 822 hectares. The average yield is 10-15 tons of fresh fruit/ha. A good intensive core ring can reach over 15 tons of fresh fruit/ha.

Coffee products have been processed and processed into finished products by many establishments, increasing their value and affirming their quality. Specifically, the district has produced a number of coffee products such as: Ha Chung ground coffee (filtered coffee powder); Minh Duy ground coffee; Chi Em ground coffee; Adew instant coffee; Hai An Arabica filter coffee...

"Muong Ang coffee has gradually affirmed its position and is highly appreciated by consumers. Identifying coffee as a key crop, the district is also focusing on developing the Muong Ang coffee brand, promoting products to domestic and foreign markets. To increase output, the locality also encourages people to expand coffee growing areas, apply science and technology to production to improve productivity and quality" - Mr. Thong said.

Many typical OCOP products of Dien Bien province have been known and loved by consumers. Photo: Do ​​Nga

Or in Tua Chua district, in recent years, people in the district have invested in and expanded the growing area and have now produced many of the district's strengths such as Tua Chua ancient Shan Tuyet green tea, Tua Chua ancient Shan Tuyet white tea and Shan Tuyet green tea. In particular, after being recognized as meeting OCOP standards (late 2019), the product of Tua Chua Shan Tuyet tea (Diệp thanh tra) not only increasingly expands the consumption market, helping people to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, but also creates conditions for local tourism to develop exploration and experience tourism with an ancient tea forest of more than 8,000 trees.

Along with tea trees, squash has become a key crop in economic development for the people of the highland commune of Tia Dinh, Dien Bien Dong district. Tia Dinh squash is a type of squash with a solid core, firm fruit and very fragrant taste, easy to preserve, suitable for long-distance transportation, which is a favorable factor in the transportation and preservation of products for distribution to the provinces.

Small scale production

According to Ms. Xuan, in addition to positive results, the province is also facing many difficulties in the cultivation process. About 50% of the area is over 1,000m high and 70% of the area has a slope of over 25°, making it difficult to apply modern farming methods. The process of expanding the scale of production, consumption and building the brand of OCOP products still faces many challenges.

“Output and the ability to meet orders are still limited due to small-scale, fragmented production. For example, coffee is harvested from late September to December. Products such as red peanuts and green squash are also seasonal. In addition, processing capacity is still not up to standard, most products are sold in raw form, with limited refined processing. Many products have not yet found a stable market due to passive promotion and failure to keep up with digital transformation,” said Ms. Xuan.

Unable to hide his concerns, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung - Director of Dien Bien Agricultural Products Processing Cooperative - said: " We have invested a lot in the production line for Seng Cu rice. However, the business has difficulty finding a market for consumption. We really want to bring our products to a larger market, but we do not have connections with supermarkets or large stores."

Ms. Chu Thi Thanh Xuan – Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dien Bien province. Photo: Do ​​Nga

Mr. Nguyen Van Hung also said that financial pressure is weighing heavily on the cooperative, as production costs are increasing while revenue is decreasing. In addition, infrastructure in rural areas of Dien Bien is still difficult, especially transportation and warehouse systems. The transportation of raw materials and products faces many obstacles, increasing production costs and reducing competitiveness. In addition, the technical level and skills of local workers are limited, affecting the quality and uniformity of products when expanding production.

To overcome the above difficulties, according to the Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dien Bien province: "The Department has implemented many solutions. First of all, we determined that development must closely follow the raw material area, strengthen the connection between enterprises, cooperatives and people. Currently, the orientation is focusing on the 10,000 ha high-quality rice area in Dien Bien and Hoang Ton Giao, 4,500 ha of coffee in Muong Ang and further development in Dien Bien Dong".

Local products are currently facing difficulties in expanding production scale, consumption and building product brands. Photo: Do ​​Nga

“Along with that, we continue to invest in science and technology, manage raw material areas, apply high technology and enhance processing to increase product value. In Dien Bien, one of the biggest challenges in agriculture is processing. Currently, the quality of agricultural products still depends a lot on the preliminary processing process, so the added value is not high. To overcome this shortcoming, we are increasing support for people in perfecting product designs and packaging, promoting on information channels and participating in fairs and trade promotion,” said Ms. Xuan.

In addition, Ms. Xuan emphasized: "We see that the potential of typical products, OCOP in Dien Bien is very large, but to expand the scale, it requires synchronous investment from infrastructure to technology. The State has had support policies, but resources are still limited, not meeting all the needs of the subjects. In the coming time, the province will prioritize building linked production models to solve this problem."

In addition to the lack of investment resources and expansion of production scale, the lack of brand awareness in the "home market" has put Dien Bien agricultural products in a difficult situation. Many products still lack an attractive brand story to impress consumers. The packaging and labels of some products are not professional and do not meet international market standards. The registration of intellectual property and geographical indications for key products such as Seng Cu rice or Shan Tuyet tea has not been promoted, leading to the risk of being copied or losing competitive advantage. Therefore, to open up the output for agricultural products, typical products, and OCOP Dien Bien, in addition to synchronous investment, positioning and building strong brands for products are decisive factors in affirming a unique path for agricultural products in Dien Bien.

Lesson 2: Brand Positioning

Source: https://congthuong.vn/go-dau-ra-cho-nong-san-dien-bien-bai-1-kho-chong-kho-379153.html