Digital transformation in agricultural cooperatives

According to the Department of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), to date, about 2,600 out of more than 22,500 agricultural cooperatives nationwide have applied software and digital technology. This is a relatively low number compared to the position and potential of our country's agricultural sector.

Prioritize digital transformation

According to experts, digital transformation in agricultural cooperatives helps reduce operating costs by up to 30%, reduce fertilizer costs by 15-20%; at the same time, increase productivity by 15-28%. It can be said that digital transformation is the key to sustainable development in the agricultural sector.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau province identifies high-tech agriculture as the pillar of the local economy, so there have been many policies to promote cooperatives to apply high technology and digital transformation to improve product quality and value.

By 2024, the province will have 41 cooperatives applying high technology in production, processing and consumption of products; 35 cooperatives applying technology in production and business activities; 10 cooperatives participating in exporting products to international markets...

A typical example is the Ba Ria-Vung Tau High-Tech Agricultural Cooperative in Binh Ba Commune, Chau Duc District, which is currently collaborating with 32 households to produce and consume dragon fruit on an area of ​​30 hectares. Digital transformation has been carried out in the stages of integrated crop management (ICM) and integrated pest management (IPM) with clear results...

According to the Director of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau High-Tech Agricultural Cooperative, the cooperative invested in a vacuum condenser system and an autoclave with a total cost of 605 million VND. The investment in machinery helped the cooperative achieve a revenue of about 4.1 billion VND, a profit of nearly 270 million VND/year; creating stable jobs with an average income of about 8.5 million VND/person/month.

Tien Giang province also promotes the application of high technology and digital transformation in agriculture. The locality has 23 cooperatives participating in export activities, 34 cooperatives applying scientific and technical advances and high technology in production and business according to product value chains.

Typical models include rice cultivation, participating in linkages and consuming products with businesses according to the high-tech commodity value chain; growing melons in greenhouses and using drip irrigation systems; controlling agricultural cultivation processes via smart devices (smartphones, tablets); drone services for agricultural production...

At Phu Quoi Agricultural, Trade and Service Cooperative, Yen Luong Commune, Go Cong Tay District, Tien Giang Province - one of the units successfully implementing the model of "Smart rice cultivation with low emissions associated with green growth" with a scale of 1.5 hectares, giving high profits compared to traditional rice cultivation.

The cooperative has supported members in using slow-release smart fertilizers, pesticides, and applying alternating flooding and drying techniques according to the low-emission smart rice cultivation process associated with green growth. As a result, the yield reached 7-7.5 tons/ha and reduced production costs by more than 5.3 million VND per hectare compared to traditional rice production.

Promoting digital transformation in cooperatives

Of the more than 10% of cooperatives applying high technology and digital transformation, most only focus on applying irrigation technology, greenhouse systems, and labeling traceability. The application of digital transformation to processing, cooperative management, and product trading has not really received much attention.

In Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, to promote digital transformation in cooperatives, the Provincial Cooperative Union has developed projects to expand product linkages between cooperatives and enterprises in the province with partners outside the province through trade promotion fairs.

Vice President of the Cooperative Union of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province Nguyen Thi Loan said that the unit has stepped up propaganda to change the awareness of digital transformation in cooperative development for key officials and members. At the same time, it has organized seminars and workshops on digital transformation; conducted study tours, exchanged experiences, and introduced cooperative models in and outside the province that have successfully implemented digital transformation.

The Alliance also promotes the application of digital technology in management and operation of production, business and service activities so that cooperatives can truly promote their role as a bridge, leading members in production, advertising, trade promotion and product consumption.

In the 2021-2025 period, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province aims to increase the proportion of high-tech agricultural production value to more than 50% of the total agricultural production value; have at least 10 regions and five high-tech agricultural enterprises. 100% of the land area planned for high-tech agricultural development will be used for production projects.

By the end of 2030, the province strives to have an average revenue of about 3.2 billion VND/year for each cooperative, a cooperative profit of 230 million VND/year, and an average income of about 80 million VND/person/year for workers in the agricultural sector and 100 million VND/person/year for cooperatives in the non-agricultural sector.

For Tien Giang, the province aims to build at least 50 new cooperative models each year linked to the value chain of key products and goods, supporting the development of human resources, facilities, and the application of new science, techniques, and technologies in production.

At the same time, expand new-style cooperatives in the agricultural sector to link with the implementation of the high-tech agricultural development program and the national target program on new rural construction; encourage businesses to participate in cooperatives and link with cooperatives along the value chain.

In particular, improving management and operation capacity and applying digital technology in production and product distribution stages, in order to promote the advantages of cooperatives, increase the competitiveness of agricultural products in domestic and international markets...

According to the Director of the Department of Cooperative Economics and Rural Development (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) Le Duc Thinh, in the past, it was very difficult to organize and invite cooperative members to attend classes to equip them with digital transformation knowledge, but now they have actively participated in the classes, even proactively proposed to the locality and specialized agencies to organize training classes on digital technology and digital transformation to serve the construction of data or traceability of products...

According to the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance, in order to support the local cooperative alliances, in the coming time, the unit will learn about the difficulties and needs of the local cooperative alliances and cooperatives in digital transformation activities to reflect to relevant departments, branches and the Provincial People's Committee to have timely support policies.

The Cooperative Alliance also promotes and promotes the application of digital technology in automating production and business processes; controlling quality, managing and monitoring the origin and supply chain of OCOP products and agricultural products, ensuring speed, transparency, accuracy, and food safety... Piloting cooperative models applying digital technology to gain experience and replicate the model locally and nationwide.

With the internal efforts of the agricultural sector, promoting the implementation of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and digital transformation; actively implementing the direction of General Secretary To Lam on lifelong learning and implementing the "Digital Education for the People" movement are considered the key for cooperatives to open the door to development, bringing Vietnamese agricultural products to the international level.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/chuyen-doi-so-trong-hop-tac-xa-nong-nghiep-post879742.html