Cooperatives in Hai Phong catch livestream, increase agricultural product value

Nam Vu Clean Agricultural Products Cooperative builds TikTok channel to livestream sales and build brand. Photo: TRUNG KIEN

Brand development innovation

Among thousands of tea brands on the market, guava bud tea of Nam Vu Clean Agricultural Products Cooperative, Ha Nam commune (Hai Phong) chose its own path by developing products from clean raw material areas, meeting VietGAP standards, combined with digital media to build reputation.

With more than 20 hectares of strictly controlled quality growing area, linked with 30 households participating in production, care and harvesting, the cooperative's guava bud tea products are recognized as 3-star OCOP, becoming one of the city's typical models.

The cooperative also built a TikTok channel to introduce and share production processes and the journey of doing decent agriculture . Currently, the "Moc Nam guava tea" channel has attracted more than 90,000 followers and nearly 150,000 interactions.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan, in charge of communications of the cooperative, 80% of the tea produced is consumed through online sales channels, e-commerce platforms and only the remaining 20% is sold in the traditional way. Thanks to that, the cooperative has expanded its market nationwide, the income of members and associated households has increased significantly.

The Tung Hang Honey Cooperative model in Dong Tac village, Kien Hai commune (Hai Phong) also demonstrates the efforts and dynamism of the city's collective economic sector in the digital age. The cooperative's mangrove flower honey and Bang La apple flower honey products are highly appreciated, achieving 4-star OCOP, contributing to bringing the total number of local OCOP products to 13 products.

Typhoon Yagi in September 2024 caused almost complete loss of production and bee colonies. Instead of waiting for support or downsizing, the cooperative decided to rebuild from scratch, expanding its relationship with 30 households to create a sustainable supply source.

Mr. Dang Thanh Tung, Director of the cooperative, shared: "Currently, the unit has rebuilt the entire bee colony, the expected output this year will reach 15,000 liters and try to grow about 10% each year. My family alone raises 400 bee colonies, the peak season can reach 600 liters per honey extraction."

The cooperative applies the method of separating water and lowering the water to ensure the quality of honey is always stable. Thanks to that, the product is trusted by supermarkets and clean food stores, widely consumed throughout the country. Not only proactive in production, Tung Hang Cooperative also actively sells online.

Recently, thanks to being connected with some famous TikTokers in the exchange and sales instruction program organized by the authorities, within just a few hours of livestreaming, the number of orders increased dramatically, with customers coming from all over the provinces and cities. However, due to signing a contract to provide stable products to large supermarket and dealer systems, the cooperative was forced to limit sales via social networks to ensure the source of goods and maintain quality.

Pay attention to removing obstacles

Content creators conduct a live stream session, introducing typical agricultural products of Hai Phong. Photo: DO TUAN

Grasping the trend, currently, many cooperatives in the city are gradually bringing their products to e-commerce platforms, expanding the market. However, cooperatives also face many challenges. Famous brands bring with them a lot of trouble when some individuals "borrow the name" of cooperatives to sell poor quality products, many cases of counterfeiting and copying labels cause damage, affecting the general reputation.

Along with that are limitations in online sales human resources when the number of cooperatives with professional communication departments is very small, mainly held by young people. Some processed agricultural products still depend on weather and pests, so output and quality are not stable. Meanwhile, the cost of advertising and content production on the network environment is quite large, and not all cooperatives have enough budget to maintain their image in the long term.

Given the above reality, in order for Hai Phong agricultural products to develop strongly in the digital environment, it is necessary to have the synchronous participation of management agencies, cooperatives and supporting enterprises. In particular, it is important to support cooperatives in building brands and protecting intellectual property. Authorities need to strengthen communication, guide trademark registration, strictly handle violations on social networks; and build a mechanism to protect local agricultural product brands.

In addition, it is necessary to focus on training digital transformation skills, livestreaming, and online sales through specialized training courses: short content creation, video filming and editing techniques, customer data analysis, and how to optimize orders on e-commerce platforms.

On the other hand, strengthen the connection between cooperatives and reputable KOLs and TiTokers through the replication of "hand-holding" livestream sessions; support the standardization of raw material areas and production processes, ensuring stable product quality to meet large orders, avoiding shortages when demand increases sharply. At the same time, build clusters of cooperatives and logistics enterprises, reduce transportation and packaging costs, help cooperatives focus on production and brand building.

The initiative and creativity of cooperatives affirm that Hai Phong agricultural products can absolutely go far if they know how to seize the opportunity of digital transformation. When livestream sales become an essential tool, supporting cooperatives to develop sustainably will help increase the value of agricultural products, contributing to building the Hai Phong agricultural brand.

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