Connecting and promoting products of the collective economic sector and cooperatives

In order to create conditions for cooperatives, cooperative groups and member units to have more opportunities to promote, introduce, and seek consumption markets for products and potential customers, in recent years, departments, branches, localities and the Provincial Cooperative Union have promoted trade promotion activities. At the same time, this has also become one of the key tasks to evaluate the performance of the collective economic sector and cooperatives.

Product display area of ​​Hai Binh seafood processing cooperative.

Head of the Department of Policy and Movement of the Provincial Cooperative Union, Ha Thi Thuy, said: "Trade promotion activities are an important factor contributing to improving the efficiency of cooperative operations; they are a bridge to promote opportunities for linkage and cooperation between enterprises, distributors and consumers. The Provincial Cooperative Union has had many positive solutions to advise on policies and implement trade promotion activities to support production and business of members. Every year, the Provincial Cooperative Union often organizes from 3 to 10 trade promotion events to bring cooperatives with OCOP products and strong products to promote and introduce widely inside and outside the province. Since then, many production linkage chains and consumption contracts have been signed, creating motivation for cooperatives and cooperative members to have more opportunities and motivation to promote production and business".

Director of Hai Binh Seafood Processing Cooperative (Hai Binh Ward, Nghi Son Town) Nguyen The Hoang has just returned from days of trade promotion and product promotion at the 2nd Cooperative Product Fair - Da Nang 2024. He said that participating in the fair and trade promotion events organized by the Provincial Cooperative Alliance and the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance is an honor but also a great responsibility. Because each participation is not only to promote and connect consumption for one's products but also to contribute to exchanges, meetings, building cooperative relationships, linking in production, business, expanding the market, gradually forming supply chains, consuming collective economic products, and cooperatives in the whole province.

"As a unit producing fish sauce and seafood products using traditional methods, due to our small scale and low economic potential, participating in trade fairs and exhibitions is an opportunity for us to promote our image and brand. Each time we participate, we get to meet, exchange and learn production experiences with cooperatives across the country, thereby gaining more partners and agents to consume our products," said Mr. Hoang.

According to statistics, from the beginning of 2024 to now, Thanh Hoa Province Cooperative Union has organized dozens of cooperatives to participate in 4 trade promotion events in Hanoi, Da Nang, Dien Bien and Nghe An provinces. Thanh Hoa province's products have been positively received by consumers, and the booth of Thanh Hoa Province Cooperative Union has been highly appreciated for its quality by the Fair Organizing Committee and provincial leaders.

In 2024, the Provincial Cooperative Union plans to organize 8 to 10 trade promotion events for cooperatives and cooperative members in the province in provinces and cities across the country. Through trade promotion events, the brand will be promoted, VietGAP, OCOP products will be purchased, and clean products of cooperatives with addresses and traceable origins will be introduced. This is also an opportunity to exchange, search, and sign trade contracts with partners.

In fact, most cooperatives in the province have small production scale and low economic potential, so participating in fairs and trade promotion events is both an opportunity and a challenge. Mr. Pham Cong Bao, Director of Yen Lac Agricultural Service Cooperative (Yen Lac Commune, Nhu Thanh) said: "When participating in fairs and trade promotion events, cooperatives are only partially supported with travel expenses while living expenses outside the province are also a challenge for small cooperatives. In addition, cooperatives must also proactively plan their business and promote their products. Therefore, to ensure effective participation in trade promotion, in addition to being proactive in economic potential, cooperatives must develop products that ensure quality, clear packaging, labels and brands, and have the capacity to promote and connect markets for their products."

Understanding the difficulties and obstacles of cooperatives when participating in fairs and trade promotion, especially those outside the province, the Provincial Cooperative Union has actively advised the province to issue policies on innovation and development of the collective economy, focusing on enhancing trade promotion activities for cooperatives. Along with that, it is necessary to promote propaganda to raise awareness of the role of trade promotion activities in the effectiveness of the production and business process, creating initiative and positivity of cooperatives and cooperative members. Along with that, every year, the Provincial Cooperative Union also organizes training courses on packaging design and production, participates in direct sales through fairs along with online sales. At the same time, coordinates with localities inside and outside the province to implement trade promotion support programs with many new, practical and effective forms.

Article and photos: Thanh Hoa

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/ket-noi-quang-ba-san-pham-cua-khu-vuc-kinh-te-tap-the-va-htx-220632.htm