Co Tu women bring agricultural products 'over the mountains' thanks to social networks

New path of mountain agricultural products

The mountainous districts of Quang Nam have many advantages to produce quality agricultural products, along with other typical local products. However, up to now, the goods have only been consumed locally, not widely known in markets outside the district or in the province.

Realizing the huge sales advantage from social networks, in 2020, Ms. Hoih Blui (Agrong village, Atieng commune, Tay Giang district, Quang Nam province) "practiced" selling with a smartphone. Every day, she livestreams, records clips introducing products right in the garden or kitchen and posts them on Facebook, Zalo...

Not only fresh agricultural products such as wild vegetables, wild fruits, medicinal herbs, Ms. Blui also introduces bamboo-tube rice, smoked meat, corn porridge, snails cooked with cassava - traditional dishes that only appear during festivals have now become products that can be ordered online.

Ms. Le Thi Lai (Agrong village, Atieng commune, Tay Giang district) livestreams selling brocade products of the Co Tu people. Photo: Lan Anh.

“I see that there are many dishes that seem very simple and familiar to my people, but in other provinces and cities, these products are very strange and difficult to find. I want to bring my hometown products to consumers across the provinces and cities so that they can experience authentic mountain agricultural products. I film the entire process of making and purchasing them on site to gain customers’ trust, and more and more people are ordering,” said Ms. Hoih Blui.

Not stopping there, Ms. Hoih Blui also regularly guides the women in the commune on how to sell products on social networks as well as the basic video recording process, with the hope that any citizen can promote their hometown agricultural products. Many women in Tay Giang district have now confidently livestreamed to promote sticky rice, ginseng, oranges and brocade products to a wide audience on social networks.

" At first, the livestream had almost no viewers, but after learning how to lead and have beautiful images, the interaction gradually increased and people started to buy the products," said Ms. Le Thi Lai (Agrong village, Atieng commune, Tay Giang district).

Realizing that digital sales are opening up a sustainable direction in goods consumption, Ms. Alang Oanh, head of the black pig breeding cooperative (Ta Po commune, Nam Giang district, Quang Nam), is also changing the way of selling thanks to digital transformation.

Digital transformation training for women in Nam Giang district, Quang Nam province. Photo: Lan Anh.

With more than 10 members, the cooperative used to sell black pigs only in the area. But since Ms. Oanh learned to use Facebook and Zalo as the “main sales channel”, orders have come from Dong Giang, Tay Giang, Hoi An and Da Nang city.

“Some people texted to order for a whole month, some restaurants ordered 3-5 at a time. They saw that I posted regularly and had a clean farming process, so they trusted me a lot,” Ms. Alang Oanh informed.

Need support for mountainous agricultural products to go far

According to Ms. Briu Thi Nem, Chairwoman of the Tay Giang District Women's Union, to help people get used to online sales methods, including sales via livestream channels, the union organized an online livestream Women's Festival in Bhalêê commune, attracting hundreds of interactions. Buyers really like mountainous agricultural products because they are mainly clean vegetables, tubers, and fruits that are organically grown by local people and purchased directly.

“In the coming time, we will encourage the Women's Union of communes to develop and expand sales channels through livestream, thereby spreading the image, quality, and value of products to promote the consumption of local agricultural products. Thereby, not only increasing income for women but also promoting culture and preserving traditional crafts,” said Ms. Briu Thi Nem.

Ms. A Rat Thi Hoa, Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Nam Giang district, shared that nearly 100% of communes and towns in Nam Giang district now have 4G and wifi coverage, helping people easily access technology. The district Women's Union has established nearly 100 Zalo and Facebook groups with more than 3,730 members participating to exchange experiences, buy and sell products, and connect supply and demand.

“ Before, we had to carry goods to the market, now we just need to post them online and people will order them. Since then, our income has increased significantly, gradually improving our lives and moving towards escaping poverty,” said Ms. A Rat Thi Hoa, President of the Women’s Union of Nam Giang district.

Co Tu women in Quang Nam access digital platforms to bring mountainous agricultural specialties far and wide. Photo: Lan Anh

However, in order for highland products to truly stand firm in the market and enter modern sales channels such as supermarkets, convenience stores, etc., there needs to be initial support for ethnic minority households such as: Instructions on standard packaging, support for registering QR codes, barcodes, branding, registering OCOP or food safety standards.

In addition, support in transporting goods from mountainous areas to consumption points; promote programs connecting supply and demand of Quang Nam mountainous agricultural products with retail units, clean agricultural product store chains...

Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/phu-nu-co-tu-dua-nong-san-vuot-nui-nho-mang-xa-hoi-d746310.html