Cooperatives keep up with technology

Apply electronic farming diary

On a rainy day in late September, Mr. Ngo Van Lien (born in 1985), Director of Thanh Hai Agricultural Cooperative, Cau Den residential group, Chu ward, sat with members attentively watching their phones, monitoring the production diary to come up with a plan for taking care of the crops. He happily said: "The cooperative has 18 members with 40 hectares producing lychees, longans, oranges, grapefruits, apples... With just a smartphone, we can manage several hills, accurately monitor the process every day from planting, spraying, fertilization schedule, harvesting and storing big data... As an agricultural growing area certified by VietGAP, GlobalGAP with strict standards, since applying this production diary software, we find it convenient to monitor and operate anytime, anywhere, contributing to modernizing the cooperative's operations".

Truong Son High-Tech Medicinal Materials Cooperative is supported with a herbal extraction system that helps increase productivity 10 times.

It is known that the software system (App) serving the management and operation of production and business activities of cooperatives was jointly built by the Provincial Cooperative Union and has now been transferred to about 25 cooperatives. Each unit is given 1 administrative account (can delegate the right to use functions to members) to create a database of activities such as production and business plans, input purchases, multi-channel sales; accounting, bookkeeping, reporting results, customer management, distributors... In addition to software applications, Thanh Hai Agricultural Cooperative also invests in digital technology in brand recognition such as stamps, packaging labels and modern, synchronous production lines including aerators with a capacity of 3-5 tons/hour, dryers with a capacity of 4.5 tons/batch, cold storage with a capacity of 20 tons... Thereby, improving the capacity to supply products to partners in demanding markets such as: Australia, Japan, Korea, Russia... with an output of about 40 tons/year, increasing the revenue of the cooperative and its members.

Breakthrough revenue from extraction technology

Established in 2017, with 10 direct members and 30 associated members, Truong Son High-Tech Medicinal Materials Cooperative, Truong Son commune has now become a support for dozens of local production and business households, especially in processing and consuming the main crop of yellow flower tea.

The project to support the development of cooperative models applying 4.0 technology in production and business management and operations from 2022 to present has supported 9 types of machinery for 5 cooperatives with a total cost of 2.5 billion VND.

Being young and having a traditional medicine clinic in Hanoi , Mr. Nguyen Van Duc (born in 1991), Director of Truong Son High-Tech Medicinal Materials Cooperative, is always concerned about solutions to improve the level of professionalism for the cooperative. From 2024, the cooperative has invested in a synchronous system of machinery from extractors, concentrators, dryers, cold storage, generators, etc. In particular, the extraction system with a capacity of 1,000 liters/day, concentrator of 600 liters/day, allows extraction of yellow tea leaves, mango leaves, lychee leaves, sedge leaves, medicinal herbs, etc., helping to increase the output by 8-10 times. The investment in machinery is supported by the Provincial Cooperative Union at about 70% (according to the Project to support the development of cooperative models applying 4.0 technology). In addition, Mr. Duc is allowed to choose technology suitable to the capacity and needs of the cooperative.

Mr. Duc shared: “Not only does the machine system increase capacity compared to before when manually burning with firewood, it also helps us control stable quality through initial settings. We can monitor the extraction process and control the system right on the phone. The cooperative saves 60% of labor costs, currently maintaining 12 regular workers and 30 seasonal workers doing pruning and weeding for the medicinal plant growing area of about 50 hectares. Thanks to that, the cooperative's revenue is expected to double this year, reaching about 18 billion VND.”

Promoting digitalization of cooperatives

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Dung, Vice President of the Provincial Cooperative Union, in recent years, keeping up with the development trend, many cooperatives, especially those with young directors, are promoting the application of digital technology. Accompanying the units, the Provincial Cooperative Union has implemented many practical support programs and projects. Specifically, the project to support the development of cooperative models applying 4.0 technology in managing and operating production and business activities from 2022 to present has supported 9 types of machinery for 5 cooperatives with a total cost of 2.5 billion VND. These are Binh Minh Organic Agriculture Cooperative (supporting a quantitative meat stuffing system); Hong Xuan Agricultural Production and General Service Cooperative (supporting the installation of cold dryers and agricultural product dryers); Yen Dung Clean Vegetable Cooperative (supporting barcode printers for production and business activities; automatic nutrient injection systems, plows, and cultivators); Que Hang Chau Son Rice Noodle Production and Consumption Cooperative (supported in manufacturing and installing vermicelli and rice noodle production systems, industrial dehumidifiers, and surveillance cameras). In addition, many units were supported in establishing and maintaining sales accounts for cooperatives on domestic and international e-commerce platforms with a total budget of 200 million VND; organized 5 working groups to support cooperatives in participating in trade promotion conferences. The Provincial Cooperative Alliance coordinated in training and fostering the application of artificial intelligence (AI); improving management capacity and efficiency of accounting and auditing activities... contributing to creating changes in digital capacity in many cooperatives.

However, through assessment, the digital transformation rate of most cooperatives is still low, isolated, and not synchronized from production, business to administration. The initial investment cost for equipment, software, traceability systems, and high technology is relatively large. Human resources for technology management, knowledge of e-commerce, and traceability are still limited. The connection between production and consumption of digital products according to the value chain is still loose...

To promote cooperative models applying 4.0, in the coming time, the Provincial Cooperative Alliance will continue to implement projects to improve the capacity of technology application and digital transformation for cooperatives. Coordinate the organization of communication programs, seminars, and talks to raise awareness of the benefits of digital transformation; encourage cooperative leaders and members to visit and study successful models; build a culture of data use, transparency, and innovation. Promote activities of units such as the Cooperative Development Support Fund and the Cooperative Development Support Center to help many units access preferential loans and digital technology investment. Provide training on digital management, traceability, and high-tech farming techniques; build a team of "digital cooperative officers" with digital capacity to each commune and ward. Provide shared management software, traceability platforms, digital applications for member management, financial management, and data use. Actively support trade promotion, especially e-commerce, to bring cooperative products to further markets.

Article and photos: Huyen Thuong

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/hop-tac-xa-bat-nhip-cung-cong-nghe-postid427389.bbg