Pepper cultivation thrives in Dak Nong province, contributing significantly to Vietnam’s status as the world’s leading pepper exporter

Promoting agricultural collaborations

Collective economic models play a pivotal role in fostering innovative thinking, elevating production standards for farmers, and establishing a solid foundation to advance the development of new rural areas.

Sangs Farm Cooperative, situated in Dak Glong district, has cultivated a production area spanning approximately 100 hectares, featuring fruit trees and perennial crops such as coffee and pepper. Presently, all products linked to farmers are assured of market output, contributing to the cooperative's substantial annual revenue of approximately VND25 billion.

Mr. Ngo Thanh Sang, Director of Sangs Farm Cooperative, emphasized the significance of collaborative production in generating high-quality, standardized products with substantial yields. This approach enables producers to effortlessly meet market criteria, fostering a professionalized supply chain. In the future, Sangs Farm Cooperative plans to intensify production and process frozen products like avocado, durian, passion fruit, grapefruit, and essential oils to gradually penetrate new markets.

Similarly, CJ Foods Vietnam Limited Liability Company, Long An Branch, has formalized an association contract with Thinh Phat Cooperative in Dak Glong district to enhance product consumption. In 2022, the company procured a total of 160 tons of cabbage from cooperative members at a consistent price.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Toan, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Thinh Phat Cooperative, underscored the benefits of a linked chain in expanding production scale, streamlining farming processes, ensuring product quality and food safety, and enhancing production capacity.

The success of these cooperative models has significantly transformed the landscape of agriculture, serving as a catalyst for rural development. The socio-economic infrastructure in rural areas continues to witness ongoing improvements. Facilitating collaboration among businesses, cooperatives, and farmers has provided opportunities for the adoption of science and technology, ultimately elevating production standards. This collaborative effort aligns with the broader initiative of restructuring the agricultural sector and actively implementing the "One Commune One Product" (OCOP) project, contributing to the progressive development of new rural areas.

Fostering momentum for new rural development

As reported by the Dak Nong New Rural Coordination Office, the province's New Rural Development Program has yielded noteworthy achievements across various domains. Presently, 36 out of 60 communes in the entire province meet the established new rural standards, constituting 60% of the total. On average, each commune fulfills 16.62 criteria, with none falling below the benchmark of 10 criteria. The rural landscape in Dak Nong is progressively evolving; the socio-economic infrastructure system exhibits synchronous upgrades, and the environmental ambiance of rural areas is increasingly characterized by brightness, greenery, cleanliness, and aesthetic appeal. Concurrently, the rural economy is undergoing gradual development, marked by an expansion in scale, sophistication, and efficiency.

In the ongoing pursuit of constructing new rural areas, Dak Nong province strategically emphasizes the development of production links throughout the value chain. This involves the implementation of projects aimed at restructuring the agricultural sector, thereby facilitating the transition of crop and livestock structures towards high technology. The province is committed to fostering circular and organic agriculture intertwined with tourism, along with the establishment of concentrated production zones to enhance the income of rural residents. These efforts have translated into positive changes in Dak Nong's agriculture, exemplified by the sustainable and competitive production of commodities aligned with international economic integration.

Presently, Dak Nong boasts 65 agricultural production and consumption chains encompassing a variety of agricultural products. Approximately 9,660 households actively participate in these chains, constituting 10% of the province's agricultural production value. The province is progressively concentrating on linking key products such as coffee, pepper, rubber, cashew, avocado, and durian. Mr. Pham Tuan Anh, Director of the Dak Nong Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, underscored the central objectives of the National Target Program on new rural development, emphasizing the focus on production development schemes, agricultural sector restructuring, and production models aligned with the consumption of key local products.

Looking ahead to the 2021-2025 period, Dak Nong aims to integrate the construction of new rural areas with the effective restructuring of the agricultural sector, fostering rural economic development, and expediting the urbanization process. Simultaneously, the province is actively promoting the construction of advanced new rural areas, model new rural areas, and those designed to elevate living standards. To realize these objectives, the entire political system, local authorities, and grassroots levels of the province must effectively champion the campaign "All people unite to build new rural areas and civilized urban areas."