Chuc Son Clean Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative - a shining example with over 30 hectares of VietGAP-certified production area.

Based on practical experience in management, operation, and production expansion, the cooperative has accumulated many important lessons and proposed sustainable development solutions for the collective economic sector in the new phase.

Growing vegetables according to VietGAP standards at Chuc Son Clean Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative. Photo: Nguyen Mai

From a professional workforce...

When it was first established (in 2016), the Chuc Son Clean Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative had only 16 members. Now, it has grown to 73 members, managing a 31.7-hectare VietGAP-certified production area and selling over 1,013 tons of vegetables and fruits annually. The cooperative's operating model not only helps improve farmers' income but also creates regular employment for 62 local workers, 100% of whom are covered by social insurance and health insurance. Expected revenue is over 30 billion VND in 2025.

From that arduous journey of growth, the Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Chuc Son Clean Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative, Hoang Van Tham, has drawn a series of lessons. Accordingly, the first factor creating sustainability is the work of propaganda, mobilization, and building trust among each member. "Members must truly see themselves as subjects, as direct beneficiaries of the cooperative's development, in order to be able to participate in the long term," Mr. Hoang Van Tham emphasized.

The cooperative maintains monthly member meetings and organizes general assemblies in accordance with regulations, publicly disclosing production and business plans, financial results, and development strategies. Transparency and respect for members' roles help the cooperative expand rapidly, mobilize internal resources, especially capital contributions from farmers themselves, which is a crucial factor when the cooperative needs to expand its production area.

Another key factor contributing to the success of the Chuc Son Clean Vegetable Cooperative is the central role of the Board of Directors and its leader. The Chairman of the Board must possess both practical experience in agricultural production and the capacity to manage personnel, markets, and finances.

"A cooperative cannot be strong if its director is not strong," Mr. Tham shared. According to him, the leader of a cooperative must have a medium-term vision to guide production, select appropriate crops, markets, and linkage models, while maintaining a balance between members' income, workers' rights, and accumulated capital for the cooperative's development. This is also a crucial criterion for agricultural cooperatives to transform from small-scale production models to collective economic models operating according to market demands.

The Chuc Son Clean Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative has built a system of greenhouses, following a closed-loop chain from production to consumption. Photo: Nguyen Mai

Furthermore, a professional workforce is a prerequisite for the effective operation of a cooperative. The cooperative has built a team of personnel with expertise in agriculture, business administration, accounting, and technology, helping the cooperative organize production according to procedures, manage quality, control costs, and ensure transparency in operations.

Simultaneously, the cooperative focuses on training unskilled laborers, helping people access new techniques, ensuring consistent product quality, and meeting the strict requirements of supermarkets, collective kitchens, and chains of clean agricultural product stores.

...to strategic steps in the digital economy

Digital transformation is considered one of the breakthroughs of the Chuc Son Clean Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative. The cooperative has applied technology to traceability, production management, human resource management, seasonal planning, consumption monitoring, and financial management. The application of the Internet of Things (IoT) in production helps manage soil conditions, temperature, and humidity more effectively, reducing disease risks and ensuring products meet VietGAP standards. “Technology helps us to be transparent in our processes, meet the requirements of purchasing businesses, and build trust with consumers. This is an indispensable step if the cooperative wants to participate deeply in the value chain,” Mr. Tham affirmed.

Preparing and packaging fresh vegetables before bringing them to market. Photo: Nguyen Mai

To address the issue of investment capital, the Cooperative prioritized mobilizing internal funds, considering members' contributions as both a responsibility and an opportunity to increase benefits. Thanks to this approach, the Cooperative has achieved financial independence, reducing reliance on external support, while simultaneously enhancing members' sense of commitment to the common good.

To develop sustainable agricultural cooperatives, Mr. Hoang Van Tham also suggested that commune and ward-level authorities strongly decentralize the implementation of policies supporting cooperatives, helping them access resources more quickly and effectively; and strengthen in-depth training for cooperative directors on management, operational skills, market analysis, and development strategy building. The State should continue to support policies linked to the value chain, such as: mechanisms for convenient land access; credit support; support for innovation, application of high technology and digital technology; development of production management and traceability software; circular and ecological models and the development of OCOP products..., helping cooperatives participate more deeply in the market and create sustainable outlets for agricultural products.

According to the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment, the experience of the Chuc Son Clean Vegetable and Fruit Cooperative is an important suggestion for the collective economic sector in general, in the context of Hanoi's efforts to restructure the agricultural sector and build new rural areas in the new phase. This can be considered an important suggestion for many agricultural cooperatives facing the challenge of transforming their operating models according to the 2023 Cooperative Law.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/hop-tac-xa-rau-qua-sach-chuc-son-diem-sang-with-vung-san-xuat-hon-30ha-vietgap-725582.html