Development of Cooperatives Linked to New Rural Development

Recently, cooperatives in Phu Ninh district have adopted many new and positive approaches, contributing to increasing income for residents and accelerating the progress of the National Target Program on New Rural Development (NRD).

The entire district currently has 41 cooperatives operating in the agricultural sector, 5 cooperatives in the industrial and handicraft sectors, and 4 cooperatives in fields such as environment, transportation, and medicinal herbs, with more than 5,000 members. Recognizing the importance of the collective economy, with cooperatives being the core, to the NRD program, the district has implemented a plan to develop cooperatives linked to NRD. This plan focuses on activities supporting, advising, and assisting cooperatives in building product brands; reviewing and evaluating the number, quality, and effectiveness of cooperative operations...

Many cooperative products have been evaluated and ranked in the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program, such as Phu Loc grapefruit, Tri Quan glutinous rice soy sauce, Tu Da fermented pork, Phong Chau fermented fish, and Tien Du commune’s Dai Ngoc Tuu wine. This brings the total number of OCOP products in the district to 23 products and 1 product group, with cooperatives accounting for over 80% of the production.

Additionally, the district has 3 cooperatives that have registered collective trademarks and traceability labels, such as Tien Phu Agricultural Cooperative, Gia Thanh Agricultural Cooperative, and Tu Da Agricultural Cooperative associated with the Tu Da fermented fish brand. As a result, the district’s distinctive agricultural products have established their brands, increased market competitiveness, and, more importantly, their product value has been enhanced.

Not only do cooperatives create jobs and increase income for rural residents, but they also play a crucial role in gathering, motivating, and changing the mindset and practices of farmers in applying scientific and technological advancements to enhance production efficiency. They effectively carry out joint ventures and linkages, ensuring stable output for agricultural products. Many agricultural production areas oriented towards commodity production have been established in communes such as Gia Thanh, Trung Giap, Phu Nham, Tien Du, Tien Phu, Lien Hoa, and Phu My.

Speaking about the role of cooperatives in the new rural development program, Mr. Nguyen Phuc Suyen, Head of the District Agriculture and Rural Development, stated: “The cooperatives in the district have maximized the potential and advantages of the locality, clearly demonstrated in the field of production according to the commodity production area planning, creating key and distinctive commodity products. This has helped to increase income, accelerate the progress of building a new rural district, advanced new rural communes, and model residential areas. To date, Phu Ninh district has basically completed 7 out of 9 criteria for a new rural district; three communes, including Trung Giap, Phu Loc, and Tien Phu, are approaching the advanced new rural commune status; and six residential areas have been recognized as model residential areas.”

Ha Nhung