Farmers are dynamic, products have a stable market

 Keeping pace with the market, in addition to upgrading product quality, Phu Giao district farmers are also flexible and proactively seek consumption markets in new, modern, and more professional ways while enhancing trade promotion.

Farmers in Phu Giao district actively participate in trade promotion activities to find outlets for their products. In photo: Members of Hung Hoa Melon Cooperative Group display products at a supply and demand connection conference held by the district

 Proactively find partners and consumption channels

Nguyen Hong Quyet, Director of Kim Long High-tech Agricultural Cooperative (An Binh commune), is a mechanical engineer but has a passion for agricultural production, especially melon. The cooperative he founded in 2016 has a scale of up to 83 members, annually supplying the market with more than 2,000 tons of melons.

At the beginning of its establishment, Kim Long High-tech Agricultural Cooperative encountered many difficulties, especially in the consumer market. But with dynamism, perseverance, and going in the right direction, Mr. Quyet has helped members have stable output. Currently, the cooperative is supplying products to Metro, Big C, Co.opmart... supermarket systems with stable prices. “However, every year there are difficult times. I have actively researched and took part in trade conferences and fairs to connect supply and demand to have many partners, sign large orders, stable consumption sources so that members can feel secure in production as well as have sustainable directions for the cooperative. Currently, there are some households in the area growing cantaloupes but are not members of the cooperative. If there are new orders or contracts, we will admit more members to expand production scale," Mr. Quyet added.

Also according to Mr. Quyet, through an intermediary partner, in 2023 Kim Long High-tech Agricultural Cooperative signed a contract to export frozen melons to the Japanese market within 1 year, with an output of about 400 tons. Up to now, the cooperative has fulfilled 1/3 of the contract, about more than 100 tons.

Le Van Thuan, Director of Binh Duong Agricultural Cooperative, is active in using social networking platforms to promote and sell products. According to Mr. Thuan, the cooperative has joined online channels such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok... and has its own website. Through social networks, cooperatives is attracting more customers. Currently, consumption channels through social networks account for 75% of their output, mainly high-end stores. Social networks have attracted customers buying directly. In May, the cooperative will harvest about 10 tons of Taiwanese pineapple, about 100 tons at the end of the year, and members will be able to purchase the products.

Mr. Thuan added that the cooperative produces special and unique fruits such as: Taiwanese custard apple, Middle Eastern dates, Hoang Kim star apple... These are very "difficult" plants, so they are not mass produced but have appropriate production plans to avoid backlogs. Binh Duong Agricultural Cooperative is also collaborating with a number of cooperatives in Da Lat to sell dried products such as dried custard apple and plans to sell through e-commerce platforms such as: Lazada, Shopee, Alibaba...

To strengthen linkages

Following the common development trend, Phu Giao district has been restructuring the agricultural sector, effectively exploiting the local potential and strengths; continues to promote agriculture applying high technology, organic agriculture, safety and environmental friendliness in production, creating locally featured products, thereby enhancing the value of agricultural products and improving farmers' income.

Tran Duc Dung, Chairman of Phu Giao District Farmers' Union, said that currently in the district, fruit trees such as durian, orange, grapefruit, melon... are growing strongly. Farmers actively seek consumption channels such as conventional markets, supermarkets, and convenience stores. In particular, farmers actively participate in trade conferences and fairs to connect supply and demand, thereby connecting with export companies to bring products to foreign markets. In addition, farmers also participate in cooperatives, professional associations, and cooperative groups to receive assistance in finding markets, promoting trade, and promoting products...

Hoang Thi Hoa, Head of Hung Hoa Melon Cooperative Group (Phuoc Vinh town), said: “Joining a cooperative group helps members feel secure in production and support each other in consuming products. Small members link together into a collective economic model that will meet the quantity needs of the purchasing unit. The recent conference to connect product supply and demand organized by the district is an opportunity for us to look for new partners."

It can be seen that depending on product characteristics and production scale, farmers in Phu Giao district are currently actively participating in many different consumption connection channels to find output markets for agricultural products. This is a positive trend, contributing to improving production and business efficiency and people's income.

  Reported by Tien Hanh - Translated by Ngoc Huynh