Expanding linkages to bring farm products to foreign markets

Thanks to involvement of local governments at all levels, sectors and enterprises, a number of linkages between agricultural production and consumption have been developed in Bac Giang province, thereby gaining stable markets, bringing provincial farm products abroad, increasing their values and incomes of local people.

The farmers at Thanh Luong hamlet, Quang Thinh commune, Lang Giang district is taking care of baby cucumbers for export.

Stable markets

While having a rest after taking care of her cucumber field in harvest time, Dang Thi Cham living at Thanh Luong hamlet, Quang Thinh commune, Lang Giang district said, this year her family grew more than 1,080 square meters (3 sào) of Japanese-type melon and baby cucumber under the signed contract with the Agricultural Service Cooperative of Quang Thinh commune (Quang Thinh Cooperative). 

Thanks to favorable weather, high productivity and stable price, her family expect to rake in more than 30 million VND (1,320 USD). The Cooperative purchases and helps to consume the local products at high and stable price. According to Nguyen Van Tra, Vice Director of Quang Thinh Cooperative, the Cooperative not only guarantees consumption for the local products, they inked a contract with G.O.C Food Lang Giang Processing for Export, JSC (G.O.C Lang Giang). Accordingly, the Cooperative plays role as an agent to connect local people and enterprises. Each process is assigned to specific unit to ensure best quality of the products. The Cooperative is in charge of production and purchasing local products while the enterprise will deal with processing and exporting the products to Russia.

Currently, there are about 230 households cultivating cucumber and melon at Quang Thinh commune on a total area of more than 14 hectares. Thanks to regular check and technical instruction of the Cooperative, the plants grow well yielding high productivity. 

This year, the products are sold at higher price than previous year (3,000 to 5,000 VND (0.1-0.2 USD) per kilo). Before the crops, the growers are paid in advance and then the products are purchased by the Cooperative with prompt payment, which help the local people feel assured to invest in expanding the growing area.

Similarly, Hien Phuoc Cooperative producing and trading Chu rice noodle in Luc Ngan district is collaborating with 50 households and Tri Tue Complex Trade Ltd., Co in Long An province to produce rice noodle for export to Singapore and Taiwan (China) with total productivity of tens of tons per year. Besides, the enterprises, cooperatives and local people at the communes of Hong Giang, Giap Son, Phi Dien and Tru Huu (Luc Ngan district) also join hands in lychee production and export to China, US and Thailand.

Expanding the linkage models

Expanding linkages, farm products, foreign markets, Bac Giang province,  local governments, stable markets, cucumber field, harvest time, favorable weather, high productivity

In recent years, DoIT have consulted the provincial People’s Committee to support each project on establishment of agricultural linkages with an amount of 500 million VND (22,000 USD) from the provincial budget to help cooperatives and enterprises finalize legal procedures and innovate processing technologies at the same time provide technical training, seeding and financial support to local people for effective implementation of the linkage models. With their outcomes, these models are expected to be timely expanded”. Nguyen Van Thuong, Head of the Trade Management Division (DoIT).

According to the provincial Department of Industry and Trade (DoIT), 8 linkage models of agricultural production and consumption including baby cucumber, baby corns, clean vegetables, hill chicken, mushroom, cherry tomato, Chu noodle and pork have been established in the province. As the first results, the linkages have been in effective operation connecting enterprises, cooperatives and local people and contributing to establishment of agricultural trademarks, creating stable consumption markets and enhancing labor productivity and economic efficiency.

Many agricultural products of the province like baby cucumber, Japanese melon and Chu noodle not only capture domestic market but also are exported to Russia and 13 countries in the Asia including China, RoK, Japan, Laos and Cambodia. Besides, these linkages help the enterprises to build stable and high quality material areas.

In implementation of the linkages over the past time, it is concluded that connecting, ensuring prestige and balancing benefits among the participants will decide effectiveness and values of the linkages. According to Nguyen Van Phuong, Head of the Trade Management Division (DoIT), each party has their own roles and duties in which the production stage is the most important that helps to produce clean products ensuring quality and trademark. The enterprises and cooperatives purchasing and processing products must enhance their prestige and fulfill the commitments under the contracts. As a state management agency, DoIT supervises, guides and facilitates related units in finalizing legal procedures, connecting farmers, enterprises, scientists, management agencies and consumers in the linkages. With their experience, in the coming time, DoIT will continue to implement and expand these models in line with boosting export of the provincial key products.