Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Vo Van Hung proposed amending Decree No. 98/2018/ND-CP dated July 5, 2018 on policies to encourage the development of cooperation and association in the production and consumption of agricultural products - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac
On the afternoon of November 28, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung and Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh co-chaired the 2025 Cooperative Economic Forum with the theme "Effective linkage between cooperatives and enterprises".
According to the Report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, by the end of June 2025, the whole country had 2,938 projects and plans for cooperation and association under Decree No. 98/2018/ND-CP on policies to encourage the development of cooperation and association in the production and consumption of agricultural products. Of which, 1,968 projects and 970 plans for association were approved by localities. By region, the Midlands and Northern Mountains have 746 projects and plans; the Red River Delta has 465 associations; the North Central and Central Coast regions have 978 associations; the Central Highlands has 458 projects and plans. The lowest is the Southeast region with 160 projects and plans and the Mekong Delta region has only 131 projects and plans for association.
Regarding the success in implementing Decree No. 98/2018/ND-CP, the report stated that the organization of production according to the linked value chain has been increasingly improved and has achieved many results. By the end of June 2025, the proportion of agricultural product value produced in the form of cooperation and linkage reached about 31.2%, estimated to reach over 32% by the end of 2025 (in 2016, before Decree No. 98/2018/ND-CP, this proportion was only about 10%; in 2021 it reached 21.6%; in 2023 it reached 25.6%); in which many key national products achieved a fairly high proportion (%) of product value produced in the form of cooperation and linkage such as: cashew reached 64.69%; pepper reached 62.93%; coffee reached 40.28%; Many other products have a value ratio of agricultural products produced under the form of cooperation and association reaching from 10-20%.
Along with that, promote public-private partnership (PPP) between the state and enterprises, cooperatives, farmers and other organizations in the chain; Promote the role and improve the operational efficiency of farmer organizations (cooperatives, cooperative groups); Form and develop a network of consultants, community agricultural extension groups...
Regarding the shortcomings and limitations, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment recognizes that the policy dissemination and popularization is not widespread. The work of disseminating and popularizing the content of implementing the policy on developing linkages between production and consumption of agricultural products to the grassroots (communes, wards, residential communities, etc.) in the provinces and cities is still limited, leading to inadequate awareness of the relevant parties and a lack of enthusiasm to participate in organizing linkages between production and consumption of agricultural products.
Many localities are slow to issue documents guiding implementation; Mechanisms and policies to support linkages are project-based and plan-based, lacking long-term motivation; Funding sources to implement linkage policies are very limited, both from the central budget and local budgets; Difficulties in finding consultants to support linkage development; Conditions for benefiting from linkage policies are difficult, and the guiding processes and procedures still have many unclear and complicated points.
At the Forum, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Vo Van Hung proposed that the Government and the Prime Minister consider amending Decree No. 98/2018/ND-CP on policies to encourage the development of cooperation and association in the production and consumption of agricultural products.
"After 6 years of implementation, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has found shortcomings that need to be amended to create a legal corridor as well as create opportunities for businesses and cooperatives to achieve better results," said Mr. Hung.
Going into a specific example, Mr. Hung cited that in order to simplify the strong decentralization procedures for localities, supplement development policies for standard raw material areas, institutionalize, share benefits and risks between enterprises, cooperatives and people, the Department of Agriculture and Environment is proposing a very breakthrough policy, which is agricultural insurance. This is one of the issues that people and cooperatives are very interested in. Encourage business actors such as traders and agricultural service groups to participate in chains in a transparent and sustainable manner.
Along with that, it is recommended to build a training program for farmers, modern cooperative human resources, train digital farmers, professional farmers, train a team of cooperative directors, technical staff, value chain staff and train to form an agricultural workforce with valuable knowledge, technology and market thinking.
Finally, it is recommended to replicate the model of qualified raw materials nationwide based on the results of the pilot project of 1 million hectares of rice, and direct localities to replicate the model in a systematic, synchronous and effective manner.
Mr. Dinh Hong Thai, Vice President of the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance, reported a summary of the proposals and recommendations of the Cooperative Alliance - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac
Proposing synchronous preferential policies on tax, credit, land, and insurance
In a summary report summarizing the proposals and recommendations of the Cooperative Alliance to promote the linkage between cooperatives and enterprises, Mr. Dinh Hong Thai, Vice President of the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance, stated that regarding policy mechanisms and law enforcement, cooperatives reflected the inconsistency between legal regulations, causing difficulties in synchronous implementation, and the lack of detailed instructions, making it difficult for cooperatives to understand and apply. This deficiency hinders cooperatives from accessing support policies and makes enterprises hesitant when signing economic contracts.
Therefore, the Cooperative Alliance recommends applying synchronous preferential policies on tax, credit, land, and insurance for both cooperatives and enterprises when participating in sustainable linkages. Review and adjust relevant legal regulations, especially the Land Law and the Cooperative Law to ensure consistency and suitability with reality.
Regarding financial support and access to capital, Mr. Thai said that most cooperatives reported difficulty in accessing capital from banks due to lack of collateral, unclear financial reports, unfeasible business plans, preferential credit support policies, and limited resources of the Cooperative Development Support Fund.
Therefore, it is recommended to expand the limit and extend the preferential loan period for cooperatives with joint projects. Supplement the general and long-term credit source for cooperatives to invest in factories and machinery to reduce production costs.
Regarding human resource training and development, cooperatives reflect that the quality of human resources is the biggest subjective cause leading to weak links between cooperatives and enterprises. The management capacity of cooperative staff is weak, lacking practical skills such as contract negotiation, financial management, and digital transformation. Therefore, it is recommended to provide legal consulting services such as contract drafting, contract negotiation, and contract supervision for cooperatives. It is recommended to organize in-depth, practical, and hands-on training courses on value chain management, commercial contracts, online sales, and digital transformation.
Regarding technological land infrastructure, most cooperatives lack land to build warehouse headquarters, processing and preservation workshops. Legal problems such as planning, land allocation procedures, construction permits, and land lease are major barriers. The Cooperative Alliance recommends that the Government, provincial and communal People's Committees support investment in essential infrastructure for cooperatives such as cold storage, processing and preservation centers in concentrated production areas; Provincial and communal People's Committees have stable land fund planning and support procedures for land allocation and licensing of warehouse construction for cooperatives.
Anh Tho
Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/lien-ket-hop-tac-xa-doanh-nghiep-kien-nghi-sua-doi-chinh-sach-uu-dai-dong-bo-ve-thue-tin-dung-102251128171633081.htm
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