To stimulate consumption of agricultural products during social distancing time

In the context of the developing Covid-19, which has a direct impact, causing difficulties to the production and consumption chain of agricultural products, provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and related departments and agencies have promoted activities to connect and support the consumption of agricultural products to help farmers.

Many enterprises and cooperatives in the province have reorganized production and business to adapt to the pandemic situation.In photo: Family Clean Vegetables Cooperative (Dinh Hoa Ward, Thu Dau Mot City) donates vegetables and fruits to localities to support people facing difficulties due to the pandemic.

Flexibility in consumption

Over the first months of 2021, the province's agricultural production achieved good results. However, the reality showed that negative impacts of the Covid-19 caused many difficulties to the production and consumption of agricultural products. Facing difficulties and challenges, many enterprises, cooperatives, and agricultural production establishments have actively sought solutions to solve and minimize damage by enhancing connectivity for consumption of agricultural products. Notably, many cooperatives, enterprises and agricultural establishments in the province developed social networks, like Zalo, Facebook groups, to promote trade, connect agricultural product consumption channels and obtain good results.

About two months ago, farmers in Hieu Liem commune (North Tan Uyen district) had nearly 100 tons of bananas that were ready for harvest, but due to the influence of the disease, no traders or businesses came to buy bananas. Faced with this situation, through social networks, like Zalo, Facebook groups, farmers mobilized people in the area to buy and support the consumption of the above-mentioned number of bananas. With this way, bananas of farmers in the commune were consumed stably.

Meanwhile, Le Quoc Hai, Director of Family Clean Vegetables Cooperative (Dinh Hoa Ward, Thu Dau Mot City), said that the cooperative owns three farms producing clean vegetables meeting VietGAP standards, with a total area of nearly 3 hectares, the output of vegetables supplied to the market is from 1 to 1.5 tons of vegetables/day, the average selling price is from 20,000 to 30,000 VND/kg, all under the brand name "Rau sạch Gia đình". His cooperative supplies products to more than 30 shops and businesses in the province. Facing the impact of the Covid-19, the cooperative actively built up of a network connecting the consumption of agricultural products. The cooperative set up a sales channel on Zalo and Facebook pages in the form of a combo named "Gánh rau của mẹ" (Mother's vegetables); at the same time, joined hands with other cooperatives in the province to produce food products and cooperate with each other for a program of mobile food market to provide products to people...

Pham Van Bong, Director of provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that the department regularly coordinates with localities, farms, cooperatives and enterprises to ascertain the production conditions, supply capacity, and the need for consumption support of agricultural products. Large-scale production facilities with stable outputs coordinate with Department of Industry and Trade to connect with supermarkets, convenience stores for consumption, becoming distribution channels of essential goods in the province. Farms and establishments that suffer from local stockpiles due to the influence of transportation regulations or the disruption of distribution channels, shall connect with stable and mobile sales sites organized by Department of Industry and Trade and localities,  enterprises.

To strengthen linkages

To overcome the difficulties, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development directed Cultivation and Plant Protection Office and specialized agencies of the agricultural sector to promptly inform about the market so that enterprises and cooperatives can promptly adjust production plans as well as develop appropriate consumption plans according to possible epidemic developments. In addition, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in collaboration with all levels, branches and local authorities in the province, will regularly monitor and update information of agricultural production, assess the area, output, harvest season, supply capacity, and demand for consumption support; strengthen assistance in consumption market search, and promote export of agricultural products...

According to Pham Van Bong, in order to stimulate the consumption of agricultural products, enterprises, cooperatives and agricultural production establishments need to focus on production and improve product quality. On the other hand, it is important to continue promoting the application of science and technology in production to have a large output, high product value, to meet the market's requirements for quality, traceability, and food safety; and at the same time diversify business methods from traditional to online sales on e-commerce pages; build linkage chains and plans for processing, preserving and consuming agricultural products...

Reported by Thoai Phuong - Translated by Ngoc Huynh

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