• Enthusiastic and dynamic female leaders
  • Leadership qualities of the Union

A difficult beginning

Ba Dinh Cooperative was established in November 2018, with 46 members, initial charter capital of more than 60 million VND. Members are mainly shrimp farmers and rice farmers on shrimp farming land. In the early days, the Cooperative operated in confusion, lacked clear direction, and faced many difficulties.

Comrade Huynh Quoc Viet, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ca Mau province (middle) visited the shrimp nursery area of ​​Ba Dinh Cooperative.

At the end of 2019, with the enthusiasm of youth and the desire to get rich in his homeland, Mr. Nong Van Thach and a number of young people joined the Board of Directors and the Board of Management of the Cooperative, reorienting the operating model towards linking inputs and guaranteeing outputs, helping members reduce risks and increase income.

However, when the plans had just started, the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, paralyzing the supply chain. Giant freshwater prawns, the cooperative's main product, could not be sold because traders stopped purchasing.

Faced with that situation, Mr. Thach and the Board of Directors of the Cooperative proactively sought ways to sell the products, directly contacted and connected with many contacts in Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho, and transported shrimp to help members consume in time. That dynamism, dedication and sense of responsibility has built a strong trust in the hearts of the members.

The Rice - Giant freshwater prawn model is one of the effective production models of Ba Dinh Cooperative.

From 46 initial members, Ba Dinh Cooperative now has more than 200 members, a total cultivated area of ​​more than 700 hectares, charter capital increased to over 300 million VND, total operating capital reached more than 1.2 billion VND. This is a testament to the strong development of a youthful and creative collective economic model.

Mr. Nguyen Van Vu, Chairman of the Cooperative Union of Ca Mau province, assessed: “Ba Dinh Cooperative is a unit with a systematic, flexible and dynamic development strategy. The Board of Directors is young and has a solid professional foundation. 100% of the Board of Directors have university degrees, so they are very sensitive to the market. This is an outstanding advantage that helps Ba Dinh Cooperative transform strongly, from a monotonous production unit that only raises shrimp and grows rice, to now developing many industries. The success of Mr. Nong Van Thach and young people is truly a new breeze in the current collective economic sector.”

Dynamic, market- connected model

Currently, Ba Dinh Cooperative has cooperated with many enterprises inside and outside the province, purchasing 100% of members' rice and shrimp output at prices higher than the market. At the same time, the Cooperative purchases members' rice for processing, packaging and building the brand "Ba Dinh Rice - Shrimp", applying Facefarm traceability software, enhancing product value and reputation. Thanks to that, the Cooperative's revenue is constantly increasing, members' rights are guaranteed, and trust is increasingly consolidated.

Mr. Nong Van Thach (front row, third from left) shares about the black tiger shrimp farming process of Ba Dinh Cooperative with the working delegation of the Department of Agriculture and Environment.

Mr. Dang Van Tuc, a member of the cooperative, shared: “The leaders of the cooperative, especially Director Nong Van Thach, are very interested and closely follow each production stage of the members, from selecting seeds, soaking, sowing to fertilizing, all providing specific instructions. When purchasing rice, the cooperative always pays a higher price than the market. Mr. Thach is cheerful, friendly, and decisive in his work, so he is loved and trusted by the people.”

Not only stopping at consuming products, Ba Dinh Cooperative also proactively invested in shrimp nursery areas adapted to low salinity, helping to ensure a stable source of shrimp and reduce risks in the context of Vinh Loc commune often lacking salt water. This method not only helps reduce the loss rate of shrimp, but also helps shrimp grow quickly, shortens the farming time, and increases economic efficiency.

Mr. Nong Van Thach and the product "Ba Dinh rice - shrimp" at the OCOP product display area.

At the end of 2024, Ba Dinh Cooperative was honored by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union as one of 63 outstanding cooperatives nationwide. This title is a worthy recognition of the cooperative's important contributions to restructuring the agricultural sector, developing multi-value production chains, contributing to building new rural areas and sustainable poverty reduction.

“ Sharing about his aspirations, Mr. Nong Van Thach confided: “Farmers are the ones who directly produce the products but are often the most disadvantaged in the value chain. I understand that, because people are diligent, creative, eager to learn but lack market information, have to depend on traders so profits are unstable. My wish and the Board of Directors of the Cooperative is to help farmers produce according to market demand, so that the Cooperative can truly play the role of “clearing the way”, pioneering in finding new directions, bringing sustainable benefits to members. Only when there is trust, will farmers stay with the Cooperative for a long time”.

Despite its youth, Ba Dinh Cooperative has proven its role and influence in the development of the collective economy. The story of Mr. Nong Van Thach, a young leader who dares to think, dares to do, dares to innovate, is a vivid demonstration of the resilience of today's rural youth generation who are "dynamic, creative and full of aspirations to contribute", to become rich legitimately on their homeland.

Wish Chi

Source: https://baocamau.vn/anh-nong-van-thach-thu-linh-tre-dua-hop-tac-xa-ba-dinh-vuon-xa-a123302.html