The investment and construction of the Son La coffee processing plant has helped Son La province connect production, processing, consumption, and export.

Currently, Mai Son district has six industrial-scale coffee, sugarcane, cassava, and fruit processing companies, as well as hundreds of small-scale processing facilities. Each year, these facilities purchase approximately 700,000 tons of various agricultural products from local farmers in the district.

According to Mr. Nguyen Viet Cuong, Secretary of the Mai Son District Party Committee: Mai Son is a major fruit-growing area in Son La province with 11,500 hectares of fruit trees, of which 4,297 hectares are cultivated using high-tech methods. The area under production linkages in Mai Son reaches 9,860 hectares, accounting for 8.5% of the district's total agricultural land.

To ensure effective implementation, the district established a working group to develop raw material areas, production, consumption, and export of agricultural products; disseminated policies and guidelines to farmers, cooperatives, and businesses to invest in and develop high-tech agricultural production; and linked agricultural production and consumption along the value chain. At the same time, it directed relevant agencies and units to coordinate with businesses to review land areas that could be developed and expanded into raw material zones.

In Mai Son, many units have done very well in expanding production linkages associated with agricultural product processing. Besides creating stable jobs for local workers, these units also contribute to promoting the production and consumption of agricultural products for farmers. Son La Sugar Corporation is a shining example of this in terms of production linkages and expanding raw material areas.

The company is building a sustainable link between the business and sugarcane farmers, implementing many policies to support farmers in developing raw material areas with more than 10,000 households in Mai Son and Yen Chau districts, cultivating over 9,000 hectares of sugarcane, with a yield of 65 tons of sugarcane per hectare. The average sugarcane production reaches 550,000-650,000 tons per year. Annually, the company invests 200-220 billion VND in sugarcane raw material production areas, of which approximately 50 billion VND is non-refundable support...

Son La province has a large area dedicated to coffee cultivation. For many years, the environmental pollution caused by coffee production and processing in various districts and cities, including Mai Son district, was a matter of public concern. Only when the province intensified inspections, monitoring, and enforcement, particularly by investing in the construction of processing plants in the area, did environmental pollution from coffee processing significantly decrease. Currently, Mai Son has over 1,000 hectares of coffee plantations belonging to 1,560 households in communes recognized as high-tech application zones. Of this, the area recognized for Son La Coffee Processing Joint Stock Company covers 368.1 hectares...

Mr. Nguyen Khac Hao, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Mai Son District, said: Son La Coffee Processing Joint Stock Company, which only started operating in 2023, places great emphasis on implementing production linkage contracts with farmers. The company has linked high-tech coffee production with 684 households in eight villages of three communes: Chieng Ban, Chieng Chung, and Chieng Dong, with a production volume of approximately 6,000 tons for the 2023-2024 crop year. To date, the company has done a good job coordinating the implementation of sustainable, closed-loop coffee production linkages in the district through cooperatives, while also protecting the environment.

Furthermore, the focus on developing raw material areas linked to processing plants has contributed to Mai Son's efforts in promoting agricultural transformation in the right direction, increasing average income per unit of cultivated land. At the same time, the district has implemented various solutions to encourage farmers and cooperatives to link up and replicate safe production chain models for other processed agricultural products, especially in the agricultural processing industry, leading to development in both quality and quantity. Several factories and facilities processing agricultural products, such as sugarcane, cassava starch, and coffee, are operating stably, contributing to the development of raw material areas and increasing revenue for the budget.

Mr. Hao further informed: Mai Son has 51 businesses and cooperatives producing according to VietGAP standards; the area of ​​fruit trees granted planting area codes reaches 1,217 hectares; there are six industrial-scale coffee, sugarcane, cassava, and fruit processing companies and hundreds of small-scale processing facilities operating, purchasing approximately 700,000 tons of various agricultural products from farmers each year, and five packaging facilities serving exports. This is a favorable condition for developing raw material areas linked to processing.

In its development plan for agricultural processing industries linked to the consumption of agricultural products for the people, Mai Son district is focusing on implementing activities to support agricultural processing facilities, ensuring concentrated and stable raw material areas in the long term, connected to domestic and foreign markets. At the same time, the district is focusing on implementing appropriate mechanisms and policies to attract investors into agriculture and agricultural processing industries; strengthening investment promotion and creating a favorable environment to attract businesses to build agricultural product purchasing and processing facilities in the area; acting as a bridge between businesses and farmers, promoting the linkage of production and product consumption.

Quoc Tuan and Quynh Ngoc