Many trade promotion activities, promoting products to consumers nationwide. (Photo: DDCI Son La)

Be proactive from the root, create momentum for agricultural products to break through

In recent years, agricultural exports have become one of the strategic pillars of Son La province. The province clearly identifies that in order to enter the world market, it cannot be done in a “quick fix” manner, but must start from the root, that is, from production planning, organizing growing areas, upgrading quality to building a transparent traceability management system.

According to the Department of Industry and Trade of Son La, in 2025, Son La strives to achieve an agricultural export turnover of 35.2 million USD. To realize this goal, the province has promptly established a provincial Steering Committee on production, processing, consumption and export of agricultural products; organized regular meetings to closely monitor the situation of crops, output, border gates and consumption markets.

Currently, Son La has planned over 85,000 hectares of fruit trees and hawthorn trees, with an expected output of over 510,000 tons in 2025. Of which, many growing areas have been granted export standard codes. By the end of the first quarter of 2025, the whole province has 218 growing area codes with an area of ​​over 3,100 hectares, mainly concentrated in Moc Chau, Song Ma, Mai Son and Yen Chau districts. These are indispensable "agricultural passports" if you want to conquer demanding markets such as the US, EU, Japan, Korea, etc.

In addition, the province also focuses on developing new cooperative models, connecting farmers with processing and exporting enterprises. Cooperatives not only help to coordinate stable raw material areas but also directly participate in the process of preliminary processing, preservation and traceability.

At the same time, one of the biggest bottlenecks of agricultural exports up to now is the situation of selling fresh, raw products with low added value, which are easily forced to lower prices when facing market fluctuations. Son La is gradually solving this problem by promoting deep processing.

In the 2021-2024 period, the province has attracted 11 investment projects in the agricultural processing sector, including 3 new projects implemented in 2024 alone with a total capital of over 630 billion VND. A typical example is the Doveco Son La Fruit and Vegetable Processing Center - one of the leading modern factories in the Northern mountainous region. With a modern canning line from Tetra Pak (Sweden), Doveco not only processes mangoes, longans, passion fruits, etc. but also brings products to more than 20 countries.

Notably, this factory has signed contracts with many local cooperatives, committing to purchase up to 80,000 tons of raw materials per year. The close connection between enterprises and farmers not only ensures sustainable output but also helps increase income for people in the highlands, limiting the situation of "good harvest, low price".

The province currently has 17 large-scale processing factories and more than 500 standard processing and packaging facilities. Products are not limited to dried fruits, juices, longan, etc., but are being upgraded in terms of packaging, design and traceability to better meet international market requirements.

Connecting markets, unlocking global potential

Not only investing in production, Son La also attaches special importance to trade promotion activities - the key link for agricultural products to "go to the big sea". The province has proactively organized dozens of domestic and foreign promotion delegations, participated in international agricultural fairs, and connected with supermarket systems and commercial centers in major cities.

In particular, the province has pioneered the implementation of the “Son La Agricultural Products Week” events in Hanoi, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, etc. to promote products to consumers nationwide. Many OCOP products of the province such as Yen Chau round mango, Moc Chau plum, Song Ma longan, Mai Son passion fruit, etc. have found long-term export partners thanks to these direct connection events.

Not standing outside the digital transformation wave, Son La has deployed many livestream training courses and sales on platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Zalo, YouTube... Many cooperatives and production households have had initial success when combining online sales with official exports, expanding many more channels for agricultural product consumption outside the border.

Currently, Son La agricultural products are present in more than 20 markets around the world, including demanding markets such as the US, EU, UK, Japan, Korea, Australia, UAE... In the Chinese market alone, the province has 12 official export products, with output increasing by an average of 15-20% each year.

One of the important foundations for sustainable export is the logistics system and processing infrastructure. Son La has recognized this and is gradually investing synchronously.

The province prioritizes the construction of processing centers, cold storages, and standard agricultural product gathering points. At the same time, it coordinates with neighboring provinces and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to connect information on customs clearance schedules, supporting businesses and cooperatives to proactively arrange shipments.

The provincial Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection regularly coordinates to inspect and monitor the quality of agricultural products before export. At the same time, the province is also perfecting the electronic traceability system, helping to ensure transparency and enhance the reputation of Son La agricultural products in the international market.

In addition, the province encourages businesses to invest more in cold transport systems and logistics routes connecting with international seaports and airports, to shorten delivery times and reduce transportation costs - one of the key factors to compete in agricultural exports.

Despite many challenges in infrastructure, capital, human resources and markets, Son La has in hand important foundations to continue the journey of bringing agricultural products to the world. Lessons from the success in exporting mango, longan, passion fruit, plum, etc. will be the launching pad for new products such as coffee, banana, avocado, pineapple, high-quality tea.