Tien Giang: Promoting support for cooperatives and cooperative groups managed by women

Project 01 is the first project on collective economic development with specific characteristics for women assigned by the Government to the Vietnam Women's Union to preside over and coordinate with sectors and levels to implement. With the core role in implementing the project in the province, the Provincial Women's Union has developed a plan to coordinate with the Provincial Cooperative Union to implement the project's objectives.

DEVELOPING 15 COOPERATIVES MANAGED BY PN

To specify Plan 181 dated June 2, 2023 on implementing Project 01 in Tien Giang province, Tien Giang Provincial Women's Union has proactively developed a plan and coordinated with sectors to effectively implement the set goals.

The Provincial Women's Union coordinated to organize a sharing program to promote trade activities for enterprises, cooperatives, and groups managed by women.

Accompanying and supporting the enhancement of women's economic power requires the cooperation and responsibility of departments, branches and organizations such as: Department of Finance, Department of Agriculture and Environment, Department of Industry and Trade, Cooperative Union, districts, towns and cities.

Accordingly, with the efforts of the entire Women's Union system and close coordination with sectors and localities, many remarkable results have been achieved in the past time. In particular, the province has organized intensive training courses for nearly 700 cadres and members to improve their skills in propaganda, mobilization, and support for women to participate in cooperative economic development. Many vocational training courses have been opened with the support of partners. More than 500 women have received vocational training, 816 women have been consulted and introduced to jobs, and 428 women have participated in cooperatives and groups.

For nearly 10 years, the Women's Union at all levels has supported the establishment of 15 new cooperatives managed by Women: Truong Phat Agricultural Trade and Service Cooperative, Phu Quoi Agricultural Trade and Service Cooperative, Long Thoi Thinh Agricultural Trade and Service Cooperative (Go Cong Tay district), Tan Ly Tay Agricultural Products Cooperative, Thanh Phu Agricultural Cooperative, Tri Nhan Agricultural Service Cooperative (Chau Thanh district), My Tuong Agricultural Cooperative (Cai Be district), Tan Hoa Tay Agricultural Service Cooperative, Tan Hoa Dong Agricultural Service Cooperative (Tan Phuoc district); Thanh Cong Dao Thanh Cooperative, Dao Thanh commune (My Tho city); Phuoc Thanh Agricultural Service Cooperative (My Tho city), Tan Phuoc Commune Agricultural Service Cooperative (Go Cong Dong district), Tan Trung Commune Agricultural Cooperative (Go Cong city), Anh Duong Cho Gao Cooperative, Huu Sao Tay Nam Bo Cooperative (Cho Gao district).

The business activities of the cooperatives managed by PN are mainly in agricultural production, planting services, harvesting services, growing vegetables of all kinds, consuming fruits, providing agricultural materials, providing seedlings, producing and supplying oyster mushroom spawn, growing rice, growing fruit trees, processing seeds for breeding, raising pigs, providing piglets, raising poultry, exploiting, processing and supplying water, trading agricultural and forestry raw materials and live animals, and trading food.

According to the Provincial Women's Union, cooperative activities managed by women have always received support from Women's Unions at all levels and local authorities, creating favorable conditions for development and effective operation. Specifically, the Women's Union has implemented many solutions to support the improvement of skills for female leaders, managers and operators of cooperatives in the province.

In particular, training courses have been opened, with the participation of non-professional commune-level Union officials tasked with supporting women in developing collective economy; cooperatives and members participating in the management of cooperatives and cooperative groups, to provide initial background knowledge for women such as:

Guide to building marketing plans, introducing online sales channels, sales presentation skills, practicing and making traditional products. At the same time, provide knowledge on applying science and technology, innovation, digital transformation in business development and management, participating in e-commerce for OCOP products and connecting resources to support cooperatives...

CREATIVE WAYS

Promoting the achieved results, in recent times, the Women's Union at all levels continues to synchronously implement solutions to mobilize the participation of members and women in collective economic models in the locality. In particular, focusing on innovation, improving the quality and efficiency of the operations of cooperatives and groups managed by women in the province; continuing to propagate, mobilize and support women to participate in production, business and household economic development.

In 2024, train 100% of the Association's officials to support collective economic models and cooperatives managed by women, creating jobs for female workers; train grassroots Association officials on propaganda, mobilization and support skills for members and women to participate in collective economic development, train to promote trade activities for cooperatives and cooperatives managed by women in the province, with 678 delegates attending.

Specifically, the Association coordinated with L'Oreal Vietnam Company to open 2 free hair, nail, and makeup training classes for students to support vocational training for rural workers and unemployed female workers in the locality, with training costs of over 700 million VND/class (100% funded by L'Oreal Vietnam Company). The Association at all levels coordinated with the Vocational Training Center to open 17 classes on sewing, animal husbandry, handicrafts, and cooking with over 510 students.

Coordinated the organization of Job Fair for hundreds of women of working age. Coordinated job consultation and introduction for 1,244 women of working age in companies, factories, and affiliated groups inside and outside the province; provided 3 consultation sessions on foreign labor export, with 360 women attending.

Coordinated with the Agricultural Extension Department to organize 8 seminars; 12 science and technology transfer classes on cultivation and animal husbandry. Continued to maintain livelihood models: Group "Women making fishing buoys", Group "Women sewing for processing", Group "Women sewing handbags" hamlet, Group "Women pressing raincoats", "Coconut broom knitting" ... In addition, the Association also implemented a livelihood support model with an amount of 180 million VND.

The Provincial Women's Union has just organized communication sessions to advise, guide and support cooperatives and cooperative groups managed by women; apply science and technology to bring OCOP products, key products of local cooperatives and cooperative groups to e-commerce platforms.

Vice President of the Provincial Women's Union Nguyen Thi Kieu Tien said: Communication activities are very important in the context of entering a period of promoting digital transformation and deep integration. Training content will focus on the application of digital technology in business.

This is not only an inevitable trend, but also a fundamental solution to expand the market, improve competitiveness and product value, thereby creating more job opportunities and increasing income for local women. After the communication session, knowledge will be spread, inspiring innovation and creativity to the grassroots women community.

At the same time, equipping marketing and online sales skills for female managers, guiding the process of posting and managing OCOP products, key products of cooperatives and cooperative groups on e-commerce platforms. In addition, delegates also shared and exchanged experiences in managing and operating collective economic models, cooperatives and cooperative groups managed by women.

In addition, relevant sectors have also participated in consulting on knowledge about startups, answering questions about startups, business registration procedures when starting a business, and the province's business support policies at the "Women's Creativity - Startup" Festival, and the "Dialogue with Women Entrepreneurs" seminars organized annually by the Provincial Women's Union.

Shorten the time to handle administrative procedures, especially procedures related to businesses and investors, such as shortening the time to return results, for new business establishment records to 2 days.

For the Provincial Cooperative Union, every year it also builds and implements a plan to promote the role of women in developing the collective economy and cooperatives of the province, focusing on developing a new model of effective cooperatives directly managed by women or women as the core of the cooperative.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial Cooperative Union Le Minh Khanh said that each year the Provincial Cooperative Union organizes from 11 to 23 classes to disseminate policies and laws on collective economy and cooperatives in districts, cities and towns; in which there is a large participation of members of the Women's Union at all levels.

PN sisters are provided with policies and laws on cooperatives, and are guided on the process and procedures for establishing cooperatives. Products of cooperatives managed by PN are facilitated to participate in fairs and exhibitions in and outside the province; charity markets and fairs in Ho Chi Minh City; participate in the Fruit Festival organized by Central Retail; participate in the annual Supply - Demand Connection Conference... Thereby, helping cooperatives connect with businesses in supplying and consuming products, promoting brands, and expanding consumer markets.

LE PHUONG

Source: https://baoapbac.vn/kinh-te/202505/tien-giang-day-manh-ho-tro-hop-tac-xa-to-hop-tac-do-phu-nu-tham-gia-quan-ly-1043468/