Development of organic agricultural cooperatives

Development of organic agricultural cooperatives Area of organic medicinal plant growing Solanum procumbens by people in Dien Lu commune (Ba Thuoc).

Grasping the trend and demand for clean products of consumers, Thach Tien Cooperative, Cam Thach Commune (Cam Thuy) has invested hundreds of millions of VND to renovate the fruit growing area in the farm, developing livestock farming in a natural direction. Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, director of the Cooperative said: "Since 2017, I have built a comprehensive farm producing according to VietGAP standards. But with the desire to create products to meet the increasing demand of the market, I established the Cooperative and applied the "5 no" standard (no chemical fertilizers, no chemicals, no pesticides, no herbicides, no stimulants). The Cooperative has composted organic fertilizers to serve the cultivation of crops, learned how to mix feed for livestock and poultry. This not only reduces the amount of waste from chemical fertilizers and pesticides that have a negative impact on the environment, but also helps save production costs, creating safe products".

It is known that the natural organic agricultural products of Thach Tien Cooperative are supplied to supermarkets and safe food stores in the province at a selling price about 15 - 20% higher than traditional farming. Annual revenue reaches nearly 2 billion VND, profit of more than 400 million VND/year.

Rated as one of the typical units applying organic production to medicinal plant production, Pu Luong Medicinal Plants Cooperative (Ba Thuoc) has linked up to guide people to produce nearly 60 hectares of Solanum procumbens, Xạ Đen, Mugwort... as raw materials for pharmaceutical processing for a number of large enterprises across the country. Mr. Ha Van Kiem, a resident of Son village, Lung Cao commune, participating in the production of mugwort in association with Pu Luong Medicinal Plants Cooperative, said: "Participating in the project of developing medicinal plants in an organic direction, we are trained on how to produce and care for plants. In which, absolutely do not use chemical fertilizers or pesticides. With the organic production method, people spend a lot of time weeding and caring, however, the medicinal products produced are certified safe by specialized agencies, and are purchased by the cooperative at a higher price, thereby achieving higher economic efficiency than traditional production".

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Than, Director of Pu Luong Medicinal Plants Cooperative, said: Organic production is a new method, different from the production practices of local people. Therefore, the Cooperative must coordinate with a number of units to organize training, support organic fertilizers and biological products for people. Thanks to proper care techniques, good quality medicinal products not only bring stable income to the people but also contribute to changing the production mindset of people, especially in mountainous areas.

It is known that in 2023, Pu Luong Medicinal Herbs Cooperative has linked up to produce and purchase about 2,000 tons of medicinal herbs for people in Ba Thuoc, Cam Thuy, Thuong Xuan, Trieu Son districts..., bringing in revenue of more than 4 billion VND. In 2024, the Cooperative has been expanding the area of organic medicinal herb cultivation to 3 more communes in Ba Thuoc district and some communes in Hoang Hoa, Nhu Thanh districts...

According to statistics from the Provincial Cooperative Union, up to now, the whole province has 13 agricultural cooperatives participating in the production, processing and consumption of organic agricultural products, with the main products being safe vegetables, mushroom cultivation, honey production, medicinal herbs and cordyceps. In addition, there are a number of cooperatives participating in production and providing agricultural services for organic rice production. Organic agricultural production cooperatives and those following organic orientation in the province all focus on applying biotechnology in providing nutrients, maintaining natural enemies, and treating plant residues in the fields, contributing to creating quality, safe products that are suitable for the increasing needs and tastes of the market. However, organic production requires very high costs, not all cooperatives have enough economic potential for long-term development. In addition, organic agricultural products are considered high-standard products, so the production cost is high, which makes them somewhat selective of users, requiring businesses to purchase them to ensure income for members...

Mr. Le Hong Hai, Vice Chairman of the Provincial Cooperative Union, said: Currently, the Cooperative Union is closely following Directive No. 10-CT/TU, dated October 16, 2022 of the Provincial Party Standing Committee on leading and directing the promotion of clean agriculture, organic agriculture, and circular agriculture in the province; Decision No. 3809/QD-UBND, dated November 7, 2022 of the Provincial People's Committee on approving the Project on organic agriculture development in Thanh Hoa province, period 2022-2030 to support and encourage cooperatives to participate in organic agricultural production. In the training program, the Cooperative Union also integrated contents on organic agricultural production and safe agriculture to improve production capacity for agricultural cooperatives, thereby replicating the model of organic agricultural production cooperatives, contributing to completing the goal of having 2,000 hectares of crops and 758.5 hectares of aquaculture in the province in the organic direction and meeting organic standards by 2024.

Article and photos: Le Hoa

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