Strengthening the identification of planting area codes

In recent years, Son La province has been recognized as one of the bright spots in agricultural economic development. In particular, the development of value chain linkages has helped ethnic minority communities in Son La province have stable markets for their agricultural products and sustainable income.

Accordingly, to systematically identify and manage agricultural production and consumption, Son La has promoted the development of planting area codes – identification codes for a farming area, helping authorities and consumers easily identify the production process of agricultural products. Agricultural product traceability involves activities related to tracking, identifying, and tracing information about a product unit at each stage of the production, processing, and distribution process.

Son La has stepped up efforts to establish planting area codes.

Over the past period, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has implemented digital transformation in the management of planting area codes and traceability of agricultural products.Son LaIn collaboration with the Department of Cooperative Economics - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sorimachi Co., Ltd. organized online training courses via Zoom for businesses and cooperatives in the province on the use of digital transformation software.

In addition, coordinate with the Plant Protection Department to build a database of planting area codes throughout the province; organize training courses on establishing and managing planting area codes for export purposes, and planting area codes for the crop production sector for members of organizations and individuals granted planting area codes, and packaging facilities.

Simultaneously, support for traceability (labeling) is being implemented for businesses and cooperatives in the province. To date, the entire province maintains 216 planting area codes, including 205 codes for export purposes, totaling nearly 3,000 hectares, and 11 planting area codes for crop production, totaling over 150 hectares.

Success through supply chain linkages

Alongside establishing codes for agricultural production areas to facilitate traceability, Son La province is also promoting the development of agricultural production and consumption linkages. According to statistics, Son La province currently has 740 agricultural cooperatives; of which, 184 have organized product consumption services for their members; 86 participate in linkages; and 49 are cooperatives.agricultureOwning OCOP products; nearly 200 cooperatives applying high technology to production.

Son La is stepping up efforts to build a production-consumption linkage chain for agricultural products.

Many agricultural cooperatives have played a significant role in gathering, mobilizing, and changing the mindset and practices of farmers, effectively applying science and technology, and improving production efficiency. Many agricultural products have established labels, traceability tags, and VietGAP certification. Some products have been ranked as OCOP products of the province, and many have been introduced into supermarket systems nationwide and exported to foreign markets.

For example, the red-fleshed dragon fruit orchard of Quynh Thuan Agricultural Cooperative in Thuan Chau district, covering nearly 13 hectares, has been granted a planting area code since 2020. In recent years, thanks to organic farming practices and adherence to VietGAP standards, the yield and quality of dragon fruit have consistently been ensured for export. Last year, the dragon fruit orchard of Quynh Thuan Agricultural Cooperative harvested nearly 200 tons of fruit, with the majority exported to the Russian market, and the remainder sold successfully.

To effectively implement value chains in agricultural production, in recent years, Son La province has focused on attracting many businesses to invest in the processing and consumption of agricultural products. These projects have created jobs for tens of thousands of local workers in the raw material areas, and importantly, their products are both high-quality and economically efficient.

For many years now, hundreds of coffee farmers in Son La City have no longer been subjected to price manipulation by traders thanks to their production linkage with the Bich Thao Coffee Cooperative. This production chain not only ensures stable output but also increases product value and improves income.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thao, Director of Bich Thao Coffee Cooperative, said: "In 2017, I partnered with 11 coffee-growing households in Hoang Van Thu village, Hua La commune, to establish the Bich Thao Coffee Cooperative, with a scale of 50 hectares of coffee plantations, and signed purchasing contracts with 800 coffee-growing households in the province. With the aim of improving product quality and value through a safe product supply chain, and gradually building a reputation and brand for coffee, the cooperative focuses on expanding production scale; actively applying science and technology in all stages of production, and implementing a safe coffee cultivation model according to VietGAP standards. In addition, the cooperative also collaborates with businesses processing specialty coffee products for export in a sustainable manner; and developing 5-star OCOP products. In 2023, the cooperative expects to produce 4,000 tons of coffee; of which, 90-95% will be exported, with an estimated value of 15-20 billion VND."

Furthermore, Son La province also has many businesses and cooperatives that are effectively linking with farmers in production and processing, such as businesses and cooperatives producing vegetables and fruits that link production and consumption with agricultural processing facilities, supermarket systems, and organizations and individuals exporting agricultural products; Son La Sugar Corporation has signed contracts for sugarcane production and consumption with nearly 10,000 households; Moc Chau Dairy Cattle Breeding Joint Stock Company links with nearly 580 dairy farmers; hundreds of households produce corn to supply raw materials to TMR feed processing plants; 16 tea processing facilities and factories have signed over 7,000 contracts for linked production and consumption of tea...

Thanks to significant efforts, the total output of fruit consumed from the beginning of the year to August 30, 2024 reached 280,442 tons, estimated at 74% of the total annual output, with an estimated value of 4,292,717 million VND. Currently, some agricultural products of the province have completed their harvest season, such as plums, which have been harvested and consumed with a total output of 81,010 tons, valued at 1,305,890 million VND. Mangoes have also been harvested and consumed with a total output of 70,882 tons, valued at an estimated 499,979 million VND… The province strives to achieve an export value of agricultural products exceeding 196 million USD in 2024.

Source: congthuong.vn