A fulcrum connecting farmers to develop agricultural economy

Dong Thap province currently has 153 guilds with 7,823 members, of which 40 guilds have developed into cooperatives, contributing to supporting members in production, improving productivity and product quality as well as contributing to building a sustainable value chain, increasing income and developing new rural areas.

Customers learn about honey lemon juice products of My Long Service Cooperative, Dong Thap province. Photo: Minh Hung/VNA

The association model is organized according to the motto of “3 no” (no organizational structure, no budget, no facilities), “3 self” (voluntary, self-management, self-determination) and “3 together” (thinking together, doing together, going in the same direction). After 7 years of formation and development, the association has now expanded to 11 fields of activity, from animal husbandry, agricultural production to business and tourism.

In My An Hung commune, Dong Thap province, there are currently 4 association halls including: Tan Hoa association hall, An Hung association hall, Tan Hung association hall and Nhan Tam association hall. This is a gathering place for members in the same fields of production, animal husbandry and business; at the same time, it is a forum for people to exchange, share experiences and cooperate for development. The activities of the association halls have contributed to changing the awareness of members, from agricultural production thinking to agricultural economics , promoting the spirit of solidarity, voluntariness, autonomy and self-management of people in production and business.

Mr. Nguyen Dung Thach, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of My An Hung Commune, Dong Thap Province, said: The local association clubs play an important role in promoting the development of local agricultural economy. Through networking activities, the association clubs have gathered members to exchange and share experiences in agricultural production, from selecting varieties, transferring and applying science and technology to sharing information and experience to bring about the highest production efficiency, contributing to promoting the local economy and society.

In the agricultural sector, the association model also contributes to solving the problem of "linkage - cooperation" between households through the method of "collective buying, collective selling", helping to "reduce costs - increase quality", gradually forming raw material areas for processing and facilitating connections with businesses.

Mr. Vo Ba Tong, Chairman of Tan Hoa Hoi Quan, My An Hung Commune, shared: Tan Hoa Hoi Quan was established on October 13, 2022, currently has 30 members mainly growing and trading ornamental flowers. When joining the association, members are supported with revolving capital to invest in technical equipment, and regularly exchange and share experiences in growing and caring for ornamental flowers, helping to improve productivity and product quality.

At Tan Hung Association, the main activity is growing taro. Members not only share production experiences but also receive support for plant varieties, and work together to harvest and consume products. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Pho, Chairman of the Association, said: Tan Hung Association currently has 85 members, always united and supporting each other in production and consumption, contributing to limiting the situation of traders forcing down prices.

In addition to economic efficiency, the association also helps members change their awareness, shifting from traditional production to high-tech production, complying with organic and biological processes; thereby, creating agricultural products that meet biosafety standards, aiming for sustainable export goals.

In Phu Huu commune, Dong Thap province, Hiep Tam Association currently has 57 members, mainly growing fruit trees. The Association's Board of Directors, chaired by Mr. Vo Van Hai, has focused on promoting and mobilizing members to participate in the collective economic model; sharing practical experiences and applying scientific and technical advances in longan cultivation, helping to increase productivity and reduce investment costs. In particular, the Board of Directors has also proactively linked with businesses to find stable consumption markets for the products. Thanks to that, the longan fruit of Hiep Tam Association's members is increasingly known by many people, consumed conveniently with stable prices, bringing high income to farmers.

In Cao Lanh ward, Tam Que club has 45 members, meeting regularly on the 20th of every month with the participation of local government leaders, cooperatives, businesses and scientists. Through the meetings, members can exchange and update knowledge on mango production techniques according to VietGAP and organic standards; at the same time, seek cooperation opportunities, expand consumption markets, and find stable output for products.

The guild halls gradually became centers of community cohesion, catalysts for promoting local socio-economic development. Through this model, collective economic thinking was gradually formed, helping people shift from agricultural production thinking to agricultural economic thinking, strengthening the connection between farmers and businesses, between production and consumption.

After 7 years of formation and development, the quality of operations of the guilds in Dong Thap province has been increasingly improved and affirmed to be effective, contributing positively to the socio-economic development of the locality, especially the movement of building new rural areas and promoting the development of the agricultural economy in a modern and sustainable direction.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/diem-tua-gan-ket-nong-dan-phat-trien-kinh-te-nong-nghiep-20251022092549595.htm