Linking and developing products according to value chains in mountainous areas faces many difficulties

The form of production linkage according to value chain is a trend, a direction for sustainable and effective development in production. However, the linkage and development of production according to value chain in the mountainous districts of the province is currently facing many difficulties and obstacles that need to be resolved.

Production of dong noodle products in Ngoc Lien commune (Ngoc Lac).

Thanh Hoa has 174 communes and towns in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in 11 western districts of the province. This is a large area of ​​land with great potential and strengths for agricultural and forestry economic development, but due to the low general socio-economic level of the area, the efficiency has not been as expected. In particular, the consumption of agricultural and forestry products is still limited due to the lack of value chains in production. Mr. Nguyen Trong Thanh, Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ngoc Lac district, said: “As a locality with a large agricultural production area, with many famous products of high quality, such as: high-tech fruit products (jade lychee, avocado, orange, grapefruit...), livestock products, areca nut sticky rice, dong vermicelli... However, the consumption of products is not easy, mainly depending on traditional channels such as markets, traders... The reason is partly due to the low awareness of producers about the product value chain, small-scale production, not meeting the standards and quality of the associated units. On the other hand, due to the characteristics of the area which is still self-sufficient, the market demand for the associated chains in production and consumption is not much".

Huong Ngoc vermicelli - one of the first 3-star OCOP products of Ngoc Lac district, is considered a quality product, with a consumption output of hundreds of tons/year. In particular, Thanh Cong Service, Trade and Construction Cooperative, Ngoc Lien commune has affirmed its role as a "midwife" of local farmers through linking production and product consumption. In addition to supporting local people to develop the cassava material area of ​​more than 80 hectares and directly producing and consuming products, the Cooperative also purchases and supports the consumption of cassava vermicelli for people. Mr. Le Quang Lich, representative of the Cooperative, said: Huong Ngoc vermicelli products have initially been highly appreciated by consumers inside and outside the district, with stable consumption output and gradually increasing. The Cooperative is in need of expanding its scale of operations, developing production associated with promoting the product consumption market. However, the Cooperative has difficulty accessing preferential loans and support from programs and projects of the State".

In Thuong Xuan district, to support the development of agricultural and forestry products according to the value chain linking production with product consumption, the district People's Committee has promoted propaganda, mobilization and implementation of support policies to each commune and town. In particular, based on the actual situation, localities select projects to develop production linked to the value chain, linking production with product consumption appropriately. Through support from the projects, the district has chosen to invest in raw material areas, plant and animal varieties, technical supplies; training in production techniques, management skills, value chain management, capacity to search and expand consumption markets for the models. Through that, in the first 8 months of 2024, in Thuong Xuan district, more than 6,060 tons of rice, 1,572 tons of vegetables and fruits, more than 1,670 tons of livestock and poultry meat and about 1,230 tons of seafood were consumed through production and product consumption chains, reaching more than 60% of the annual plan. In addition, the district is implementing 7 other safe food production and supply chains. Although the results achieved in developing agricultural products according to the value chain are quite positive, according to the assessment of the People's Committee of Thuong Xuan district, this is a difficult content because not all cooperatives, enterprises and production households have enough potential and capacity to develop product value chains. On the other hand, it is quite difficult to get support and loans from projects and programs with content on value chain development, requiring the unit to meet a number of requirements on scale, implementation time of the models and ensure the rate of using ethnic minority labor. Because of these barriers, the district has not been able to strongly develop agricultural, forestry and fishery value chains to improve agricultural production efficiency.

To support the development of products according to the value chain in mountainous areas, on October 14, 2021, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 1719/QD-TTg approving the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period. In particular, there is a policy to support the development of production according to the value chain (according to Project 3 on sustainable agricultural and forestry production development, promoting the strengths of regions to develop goods according to the value chain). In addition, in January 2024, Thanh Hoa province also issued Decision No. 67/QD-UBND approving the Project on Connecting Production, Processing and Consumption to Increase the Value of Key Agricultural Products of Thanh Hoa Province by 2030. However, according to a survey in some mountainous districts, the formation and development of production according to the value chain still faces many difficulties. In addition to the reason that the unit in charge of the association does not have enough scale and production potential, most units do not meet the regulation that 70% of the unit's workers are ethnic minorities.

In order to overcome difficulties in developing products according to the value chain in mountainous areas, at many conferences, localities have proposed relevant units at all levels to issue methods, processes, and contents of project appraisal, as a basis for localities to organize project appraisal to ensure strictness and quality. Thereby, creating conditions for enterprises and cooperatives to access investment capital to expand scale, develop production according to the value chain, contributing to creating jobs and increasing income for people in the province in general and ethnic minorities in particular.

Article and photos: Le Hoa

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/lien-ket-phat-trien-san-pham-theo-chuoi-gia-tri-o-mien-nui-gap-nhieu-kho-khan-223591.htm