Digital transformation in cooperatives in ethnic minority areas

Currently, there are nearly 900 cooperatives operating in the province, mainly in the agricultural sector. Many cooperatives in ethnic minority areas have applied information technology to manage production, build websites and fanpages to introduce products and promote brands; participate in e-commerce platforms to expand consumption markets and reach customers.

Sang Na Tre Agricultural Cooperative, Chieng Mai Commune introduces specialty coffee products.

Van Ho Commune has over 85% of its population being ethnic minorities. Van Ho Retreat Cooperative, with 8 members being Mong ethnic households, specializes in growing vegetables combined with experiential tourism and online consumption, and has been actively contributing to changing people's awareness in production and business. Every day, the Cooperative posts products online, based on the number of customers ordering, allocating quantities to production households to bring them to the gathering place on time for delivery. Recently, the Cooperative has also guided members to post images of local products on social networking sites, introduce and sell agricultural products on digital platforms.

Mr. Vu Pat Ly, Director of the Cooperative, shared: The Cooperative has built a team of staff to sell online, all of whom are local ethnic minorities aged 19-35. Before the Cooperative was established, people were only familiar with farming and had never known about digital platforms or sales. Since being supported by the Cooperative, members have known how to write scripts and edit videos to introduce their products. Therefore, the Cooperative's agricultural products are consumed smoothly. With 30 hectares of vegetables, each year, the Cooperative supplies about 100 tons of seasonal organic vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, etc. to supermarkets and clean agricultural product stores in Hanoi.

In Chieng Mai commune, Sang Na Tre Agricultural Cooperative has successfully built the Son La specialty coffee brand thanks to the active application of digital platforms. With 18 members of the Thai ethnic group, they grow 30 hectares of organic and safe coffee. To ensure stable output, cooperative members have actively promoted and sold products on e-commerce platforms and social networking sites. Mr. Cam Van Hoang, Director of the Cooperative, shared: Cooperative members have established Zalo and Facebook groups to exchange planting and care techniques and market information. The Cooperative has also created a fanpage and tiktok channel to introduce the process of planting, producing and processing specialty coffee beans. Through monitoring promotional channels, the cooperative's coffee products are favored by customers, increasingly expanding the market inside and outside the province. In 2024, the cooperative's revenue will reach nearly 8 billion VND, and the income of its members will reach 400 - 600 million VND/year.

Members of Van Ho Retreat Cooperative livestream to promote products on social networks.

Implementing the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period, the Provincial Cooperative Alliance, the Department of Science and Technology, and the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance have coordinated to organize training to improve digital transformation capacity for 200 officials, managers, members of cooperatives and ethnic minorities in the province; focusing on fostering skills in creating and editing information, digital content, communication methods to promote images and products; using digital technology in product development according to the value chain; raising awareness of cooperatives on issues related to information technology, application of information technology, and the internet in life and production.

Mr. Le Huy Phong, Vice Chairman of the Provincial Cooperative Union, said: From 2022 to now, the Provincial Cooperative Union has coordinated to organize training conferences for nearly 500 enterprises, cooperatives, production and business households on legal documents and necessary knowledge when participating in e-commerce business. Coordinated with e-commerce platforms Postmart, Sendo, Voso to organize the program "Son La Specialty Day", Online exhibition fair for agricultural products and OCOP products; guided cooperatives to practice creating booths and doing business on e-commerce platforms and social networking sites. Coordinated to support 15 enterprises and cooperatives to build and design websites; consulted and supported the construction of 3 customer management software to serve product promotion and business; built online brand sets for 10 enterprises and cooperatives...

In addition, the Provincial Cooperative Union has coordinated with departments, branches, sectors and localities to build a cooperative management software database, digital transformation in cooperatives; promote training and dissemination of knowledge and skills in e-commerce for cooperatives and people. At the same time, advise the Provincial People's Committee to direct the management of e-commerce activities in the area, propose a number of solutions to build and develop infrastructure and services to support e-commerce.

Promoting digital transformation of the collective economic sector, especially cooperatives in ethnic minority areas, into production, business, promotion and consumption promotion activities is the "key" to sustainable agricultural development, contributing to gradually building the trade system of Son La province in a convenient, civilized and modern direction.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/kinh-te/chuyen-doi-so-trong-htx-vung-dong-bao-dan-toc-thieu-so-qI1YHljNR.html