The role of cooperatives in building advanced, exemplary new rural areas

Viet Tien Production and Service Cooperative, Truc Tuan Commune (Truc Ninh) creates jobs for many local workers.

The province currently has 553 cooperatives and People's Credit Funds with 530 cooperatives operating in various economic sectors and fields; of which 418 are agricultural cooperatives, attracting 314,074 members who are individuals and households, and creating jobs for 4,903 workers. Specialized cooperatives in agriculture and general agriculture have promoted their role in gathering, mobilizing, changing the way of thinking and working for farmers, applying scientific and technical advances, improving production efficiency, implementing joint ventures and associations well, ensuring stable output for agricultural products. Typically, Nghia Binh Agricultural Production and Service Cooperative (Nghia Hung) has actively participated in land consolidation, plot exchange, and building large fields; innovating and strongly developing the service system to serve members and people according to the product value chain from input services, monitoring stages of the production process to the output market for products; At the same time, the cooperative has coordinated with companies to focus on building a model of linking production and consumption of clean agricultural products and organic products. The cooperative has also built a stable and highly competitive market, boldly signing product consumption contracts for members with key products such as "Bac Nghia Binh sticky rice", "Organic dragon blood rice"...

In addition, there are many typical advanced new cooperative models with good production and business performance such as: Dinh Moc circular agricultural economic cooperative, Giao Tan commune; Khang Tuong cooperative, Giao An commune; Tuan Hiep mushroom and handicraft cooperative, Hong Thuan commune (Giao Thuy); Nam Cuong agricultural production and service business cooperative, Yen Cuong commune; Yen Loi livestock cooperative (Y Yen); Bon Thuan cooperative, Hop Hung commune; Van Xuan Truong veteran cooperative, Hien Khanh commune (Vu Ban); Lien Minh service business cooperative, Hai Giang commune; Hai Dien aquatic products cooperative, Con town (Hai Hau); Hung Cuong environmental agricultural and aquatic products service cooperative, Truc Hung commune (Truc Ninh); Xuan Hoa aquaculture production and service business cooperative, Xuan Phuc commune (Xuan Truong). In the difficult context due to natural disasters and epidemics, along with other economic sectors and collective economy, cooperatives have strived to overcome difficulties and made progress, continuing to build many new cooperative models. The number of cooperatives with typical products and services that meet the needs of members and the market is increasing. Cooperatives have organized production, business and service activities well, associated with increasing income and improving the lives of members. The average income of members and workers reached 42 million VND/person/year. The average profit reached 190 million VND/cooperative/year. Many agricultural cooperatives have linked up with partners in production associated with the consumption of agricultural products for member households. Implementing the program "One commune, one product", up to now, 51 cooperatives with 102 products of cooperatives have been evaluated as 3-star and 4-star OCOP products (accounting for 24% of the total OCOP products of the province). Currently, the province has 84 cooperatives applying common production processes; 19 cooperatives applying high technology in cultivation, farming, processing, preserving products, and producing agricultural materials; 63 cooperatives have built a chain linking production and product consumption with enterprises; 30 cooperatives have invested in machinery and technical equipment for production, harvesting, preliminary processing, processing, and preserving agricultural products... The effective operation of cooperatives has contributed to the implementation of the criteria for building advanced, exemplary new rural areas of the province, clearly demonstrated in the organization of production according to planning associated with value chain linkage participating in the domestic and export markets, especially high-quality organic rice of Nam Dinh, aquatic products, handicrafts (weaving sedge baskets, weaving scarves)... Currently, there is 1 cooperative and 1 enterprise of the province that is the focal point connecting production associated with the value chain of processing and consuming rice with over 30 agricultural cooperatives in the area.
Along with promoting production, participating in building advanced and exemplary new rural areas, cooperatives also focus on environmental protection, contributing to promoting agricultural development in an effective and sustainable direction. Cooperatives regularly propagate and raise awareness for members to change production methods from traditional to clean, safe and sustainable agricultural forms such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP, organic agriculture; organize for members to visit high-tech production models in and outside the province. In particular, 13 cooperatives specializing in clean water and environmental sanitation have actively contributed to the protection of the rural environment, helping more and more people to use clean water. Typically: Song Dao Clean Water and Environmental Cooperative (Nam Truc); Nam Thanh Environmental Services Cooperative (Nam Truc); Bach Long Environmental Sanitation Services Cooperative, Giao Long Environmental Cooperative, Ngo Dong Clean Water and Environmental Sanitation Cooperative, Van Xuan Environmental Sanitation Services Cooperative (Giao Thuy); Truong Phat Agricultural and Green Environment Cooperative (Xuan Truong); Binh An Environmental Sanitation Service Cooperative (Hai Hau); Yen Ninh Environmental Service Production and Business Cooperative (Y Yen)...

In order to enhance the role of cooperatives in building advanced and exemplary new rural areas, in recent years, the province has had many policies to encourage land consolidation, plot exchange, land accumulation, planning concentrated production areas, creating conditions for cooperatives to boost production and business; at the same time, paying special attention to the work of converting and reorganizing the activities of cooperatives according to the 2012 Law on Cooperatives, developing new cooperative models with effective operations. The provincial Cooperative Union has supported cooperatives in accessing markets, orienting key products, supporting loans for investment in expanding production, building brands and product labels. Every year, the provincial Cooperative Union also organizes training courses on management skills, equipping cooperative staff with business administration knowledge to innovate economic development thinking, access markets, connect with businesses, build production and product consumption chains. Thanks to that, in recent years, the collective economy and cooperatives have made new progress in terms of quantity and quality; activities have been improved with many types of services, creating conditions for members and farming households to shift the structure of crops and livestock, improve productivity and product quality, promote production and business development in rural areas. The contribution of cooperatives has changed the face, creating momentum for agricultural and rural development. The rural socio-economic infrastructure system is renewed every day, the appearance of the countryside is increasingly spacious, developing in a modern and civilized direction. Service activities in cooperatives have developed diversely, associated with value chains, increasingly meeting the requirements of production and people's lives.

In the coming time, cooperatives in the province will continue to innovate their operations, expand their production scale; promote the construction and replication of cooperative economic models associated with value chains, creating momentum for the process of building new rural areas associated with the successful implementation of the Agricultural Restructuring Project, improving the material and spiritual life of member households; actively implement the program "One Commune One Product", develop new OCOP products; focus on investing in building high-tech production areas, developing organic agriculture and green agriculture. Thereby, promoting the role of cooperatives to continue contributing to the construction and upgrading of rural infrastructure, participating in the successful implementation of criteria in building advanced and exemplary new rural areas.

Article and photos: Lam Hong

Source: https://baonamdinh.vn/kinh-te/202504/vai-tro-cac-hop-tac-xa-trong-xay-dung-nong-thon-moi-nang-cao-kieu-mau-31f6dbb/