Vice Chair of the Tuyên Quang People's Committee Nguyễn Thế Giang (left) and a representative from R.Y.B Joint Stock Company examine guava tea produced by Bình Minh Organic Agricultural Cooperative, which has been exported to the UK. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hải

TUYÊN QUANG — Bình Minh Organic Agricultural Co-operative, located in Tuyên Quang Province's Yên Sơn District, is well-known in the area for getting off on the right foot: organic farming has been their focus right from the beginning.

The demand for clean, safe agricultural produce with traceable origins on the rise around the country in the last few years caught the attention of the co-operative’s founding members.

Bình Minh Co-operative was officially founded in 2022, but since late 2020, its founding members – including deputy director Đỗ Thanh Kim – have been growing fruit and medicinal plants in accordance with the Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGAP). Male papaya, sapodilla, mango, guava, pear and Vinh orange were their key crops at the beginning.

Now their raw material area spans over 21 hectares, where a closed production process – from planting and care to product processing – is carefully implemented.

Their commitment to producing safe and clean agricultural produce has gained positive results. In October, the co-operative’s guava tea and honey-infused papaya flower were chosen out of six signature products from Tuyên Quang Province to be exported to the United Kingdom.

After harvesting, guava leaves and papaya flowers are carefully selected, sliced and cold-dried to preserve their nutritional value. They are then processed by modern machinery with high safety standards.

“Pesticide residue has been checked for all of our products and is within the permissible range. Each of the products has been given a barcode and traceability stamp,” said deputy director Kim.

He added: "Being able to export to the UK is such a huge pride and motivation for us. We will continue to encourage and guide local households on growing organic crops and caring for them with the right practices.”

With the successful export of OCOP products, Tuyên Quang Province is laying a strong foundation for developing its key products and specialties, said Nguyễn Thế Giang, vice chair of the province’s People’s Committee.

“The brand and value of Tuyên Quang agricultural products are gradually gaining attention, both domestically and internationally,” he said.

To have more products exported to international markets in the future, the authorities will continue helping farmers and local residents to strengthen their production, ensure that there is enough raw material supply for production, and support them in getting food safety certifications, Giang added.

“We will also promote production linked with safe food value chains and standards such as VietGAP, organic, GlobalGAP and ISO certifications to ensure quality standards for export,” he said.

Signature agricultural products from Tuyên Quang Province are loaded onto a truck to be exported to the United Kingdom in October. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hải

Slow but steady progress

From mid-2023, Bình Minh Co-operative expanded production, opening a new office and a production area for tea bags and medicinal plant products. They received VNĐ100 million (nearly US$4,000) in support from the provincial Industrial Promotion and Development Centre to purchase machinery and improve the production line.

In the same year, seven of their products were given three-star One Commune–One Product (OCOP) certificates. They were the green bean tea, solanum trilobatum tea, guava tea, papaya flower tea, cold-dried papaya flower, honey-infused papaya flower, and pear guava.

So far, the co-operative has produced 14 agricultural products, including tea bags, honey, and honey-based products, as well as medicinal plant products. They have all been tested for quality and pesticide residues, and certified for food safety.

After more than a year of operating a new production line, which can process 15-20 tonnes of raw materials per year, the co-operative's annual revenue reached about VNĐ7 billion ($275,300), with a profit after tax of over VNĐ900 million ($35,400) per year. They have paid more than VNĐ700 million ($27,500) in tax to the State.

The co-operative’s products are sold in supermarkets across the province and the country, and in airports such as Tân Sơn Nhất and Nội Bài as signature Vietnamese gifts to international visitors. To boost sales and distribution, the products are also promoted on e-commerce platforms such as Tiktok, Facebook, Shopee, Lazada, Sendo and TiKi.

The co-operative currently employs 15 full-time workers, with an average monthly income of VNĐ5-7 million ($197-275).

They also work with many local families, growing green beans and medicinal plants in Tứ Quận Commune and neighbouring areas. This contributes to raising incomes, reducing poverty, and supporting the local economic shift towards industrial services and agroforestry.

Bình Minh Co-operative’s initial success is a combination of choosing the right focus, leveraging State support, and using the right tools. Every product that comes out of the co-operative reflects their dedication to bringing ‘green products’ to consumers.

Kim said: “In the near future, we plan to increase production capacity, expand the raw material areas and research new product lines. We will also intensify business activities on digital platforms, and list more products on e-commerce marketplaces to bring them closer to customers.”

Embracing the digital transformation, a number of virtual stores for the co-operative are being built, Kim added.

“We are also working on the launch of our website so we can officially enter the e-commerce market, with the goal of achieving sustainable growth,” he said. — VNS