Dong Tao Chicken Breeding and Trading Cooperative was honored at the Program "Pride of Vietnamese Farmers"

Established in 2016, Dong Tao Chicken Breeding and Trading Cooperative, Dong Tao Commune (Khoai Chau) has been developing on a large scale, creating regular jobs for many rural workers, with annual revenue ranking first in the locality. Last October, Dong Tao Chicken Breeding and Trading Cooperative was honored to be one of 63 outstanding cooperatives nationwide honored at the "Pride of Vietnamese Farmers" Program in 2023 organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union in Hanoi.

Members of Dong Tao Chicken Breeding and Trading Cooperative, Dong Tao Commune (Khoai Chau) take care of the chickens.

Mr. Le Quang Thang, Director of Dong Tao Chicken Breeding and Trading Cooperative, said: Dong Tao chicken is a precious breed of chicken, bringing high economic value. Over time, combined with the characteristics of difficult reproduction and difficult to raise, the number of purebred Dong Tao chickens has decreased more and more. In recent years, many consumers have known and sought to buy this breed of chicken, so people have expanded their breeding. With the aim of connecting farming households, sharing experiences in raising and trading Dong Tao chickens to meet market demand, in September 2016, I mobilized to establish the Dong Tao Chicken Breeding and Trading Cooperative with 16 members. Up to now, the Cooperative has 17 members with a breeding area of ^12,000m2 , a total flock of over 8,000 chickens.

In order to have good quality chickens with beautiful appearance, in addition to soil, climate and experience of the breeders, the Cooperative has applied good livestock practices (VietGAHP) to contribute to improving product quality, ensuring food hygiene and safety; increasing productivity, reducing costs, creating competitiveness in the market, aiming at sustainable livestock development. Along with that, the Cooperative has implemented Dong Tao chicken farming according to the artificial insemination model with the aim of maintaining good genetic resources, large-sized and beautiful-looking chickens, increasing hatching rate, bringing high economic efficiency. Cooperative members maintain the development of free-range chicken farming under the canopy of trees, the main food of chickens is roughage such as: corn kernels, germinated rice, supplemented with green vegetables, helping chickens have beautiful appearance and delicious, nutritious meat quality to serve the market and demanding customers.

Being guided on techniques and linked to product consumption, the members of the cooperative are very excited. Mr. Nguyen Van Luan, a member of the cooperative, said: Joining the cooperative, I was guided on techniques, care processes, food, disease prevention and treatment for chickens, thanks to which my family's chicken flock has developed well. Currently, I regularly raise 700 - 800 Dong Tao chickens, selling about 10 tons of chicken meat each year, bringing in a profit of 400 million VND or more.

As the "helmsman" of the Cooperative, Mr. Le Quang Thang, Director of the Cooperative, is always looking for new directions to meet the needs of consumers. Realizing that in recent years, many people in and outside the province have raised Dong Tao chickens, so the selling price of chickens has decreased compared to before; moreover, to facilitate the preservation and transportation of Dong Tao chickens, since 2018, the Cooperative has built a slaughterhouse with a slaughtering, preliminary processing, and packaging process that ensures food safety and hygiene regulations. Chicken parts such as chicken feet, chicken meat, chicken bones, etc. are divided into small pieces, cleaned, vacuum-packed and sent to restaurants and supermarkets in many provinces and cities in the country.

From 2019 to present, the Cooperative has launched many ready-made products from Dong Tao chicken such as: pork roll, Dong Tao chicken fried ham, Dong Tao chicken marinated in salt, lemongrass and lime chicken feet... These products are highly appreciated and favored by consumers. Along with that, the Cooperative has developed additional product consumption channels through social networks and e-commerce platforms, thanks to which the products are known to more people and consumed more conveniently.

In recent times, the Cooperative has proactively and actively participated in the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program. Thereby, contributing to improving product quality, increasing competitiveness, expanding consumption markets, creating motivation for the Cooperative to develop. Up to now, the Cooperative has 3 products certified to meet OCOP standards. Of which, the products: Dong Tao chicken sausage, Dong Tao chicken ham are recognized as 3-star OCOP; Dong Tao chicken meat products are recognized as 4-star OCOP. After being certified as OCOP products, the Cooperative focused on investing in designs, packaging and traceability stamps to meet customer tastes, gaining customers' trust and preference. In addition to retail, the Cooperative has cooperated with Metro supermarket and a number of companies and collective kitchens inside and outside the province to consume with an output of 40 tons of fresh chicken meat/year and 15 tons of finished salted Dong Tao chicken. Currently, the Cooperative is completing the application to request the Provincial People's Committee to recognize the Dong Tao salt-cured chicken product as meeting the 3-star OCOP standard, striving for the Dong Tao chicken meat product to reach the 5-star OCOP standard.

On average, each year, the Dong Tao Chicken Breeding and Trading Cooperative's revenue reaches from 5.5 to 6 billion VND, bringing each member an income of 400 million VND/year or more. The success of the Dong Tao Chicken Breeding and Trading Cooperative has created an economic development direction to help local people become rich.

Huong Giang

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