The money will be used to develop infrastructure and build warehouses andplants to process the province’s key agricultural products.
Nguyen Tien Hai, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, has instructedthe Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to inform the cooperativesthat they need to complete all required procedures to receive the subsidies.
The southern-most province has more than 200 cooperatives, including 135 inagriculture, according to its Cooperatives Alliance.
Do Van So, chairman of the alliance, said many grow clean rice and breed shrimpto Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) standards and adopt advancedtechnologies, including biofloc technology to manage water quality forintensive shrimp farming.
The Kinh Don Agricultural Service Co-operative in Tran Van Thoi district’s KhanhBinh Tay Bac commune, for instance, grows clean rice that is exported to theEU, the Republic of Korea and the Philippines.
Nguyen Truong Doi, its director, said the rice grown by his cooperativemembers has purchase deals with companies who pay 200 VND a kilogramme higherthan the market price.
Its membership has grown from 27 when it was established nearly five years agoto 65 members now, and more farmers are applying, he said.
Members of the Cai Bat Aquaculture Cooperative in Cai Nuoc district’s Hoa My communebreed shrimp on 30ha to ASC standards and 348ha to Vietnamese good agriculturalpractices (VietGAP) standards.
The entire output is sold under agreements with companies.
Nguyen Hoang An, its director said, the province’s Department of Agricultureand Rural Development acts as a bridge with input supplying companies, helpingthe cooperative develop sustainably.
The cooperative has also set up women’s groups to make products from itsshrimp such as dried shrimp, salted shredded shrimp, shrimp paste, and shrimpcrackers.
It has achieved the targets set by the cooperative management board, and thishas been due to several factors, including the support provided by localauthorities by transferring advanced farming techniques, he said.
Nevertheless, the province has many cooperatives that have difficultymobilising resources, limited management capacity and lack knowledge ofadvanced techniques.
The People’s Committee has instructed all authorities to tighten oversight toimprove the operations of cooperatives.
The province has so far provided financial support to 15 new-stylecooperatives to develop their infrastructure under the Government’s Decision445 issued in 2016. - VNS/VNA