A durian orchard belonging to members of the Trường Khương A Co-operative in Cần Thơ City’s Phong Điền District. The co-operative produces 350-400 tonnes of Ri6 durian annually. — VNA/VNS Photo Thu Hiền

CẦN THƠ — The southern city of Cần Thơ has effectively implemented support policies for co-operatives, helping them operate stably and increase their members’ incomes.

Its Co-operative Alliance has routinely collaborated with the Việt Nam Co-operative Alliance’s Trade and Investment Promotion Centre to organise training for co-operatives in trade promotion and market development skills.

It has sought to assist co-operatives in promoting trade, selling agricultural products on e-commerce platforms and strengthening product promotion through fairs, exhibitions, business conferences, and supply-demand connections.

It has helped them access the Co-operative Assistance Fund to expand production.

The Tiến Dũng Agricultural Co-operative in Cờ Đỏ District is one of the leading co-operatives in establishing large-scale rice fields with high productivity.

It has mechanised nearly all stages of farming, such as land preparation, sowing, irrigation, and harvesting, to improve efficiency.

It has received support from district agricultural authorities to install automatic monitoring equipment, enabling farmers to remotely monitor water levels, pests and environmental conditions via smartphones.

This helps manage the fields more effectively, reduce costs and boost productivity.

Nguyễn Danh Dũng, director of the co-operative, said: “Farming on large-scale rice fields and forming a supply chain with businesses enable the co-operative’s members to receive maximum support for input materials and guaranteed sales. The co-operative is also in a better position to promote mechanisation and apply advanced techniques to improve production efficiency.”

Cờ Đỏ District is promoting the diversification of crops and livestock using high-tech applications, and establishing supply chains involving farmers, co-operatives and businesses to secure outlets and enhance economic efficiency.

The district has developed several high-tech agricultural models, such as fish fry production, mushroom farming and vegetable and fruit cultivation.

The Thiên Minh High-Tech Agricultural Co-operative in Trung Thạnh Commune has seven members who cultivate over one hectare of honeydew melon, including in 6,000 sq.m of polygreen houses with automated irrigation and fertilisation systems.

The polygreen house farming model helps control pests, reduces the impact of the weather and increases both yields and quality.

The current yield is 3 - 3.5 tonnes per 1,000 sq.m per crop, and members get a steady price of around VNĐ40,000 (US$1.5) per kilogramme but they cannot meet demand.

Đoàn Văn Du, director of the co-operative, said: “In the case of rice, we can only grow a maximum of three crops a year, but growing honeydew melon in greenhouses enables four or five crops a year, generating an income of hundreds of millions of đồng per 1,000 sq.m.”

The Cờ Đỏ Craft Village Co-operative has more than 40 women members from Thới Hòa B Hamlet in Cờ Đỏ Town who make handbags, hats and baskets by hand from dried water hyacinth.

The co-operative has received support from local authorities to expand production and actively participate in the country’s “one commune – one product” (OCOP) programme.

Its water hyacinth products were recognised as a four-star OCOP product in 2023.

This has helped the co-operative build a brand, secure regular sales contracts with businesses, expand outlets, and increase members’ incomes.

Sơn Thị Lang, director of the Cờ Đỏ Craft Village Co-operative, said to achieve the four-star certification members worked diligently to improve their skills and created products that met high quality standards and had attractive designs based on market demand.

The co-operative had gradually become a reputed source of handicrafts for customers both in the city and elsewhere, she said.

This not only enhanced the value of traditional crafts but also created jobs for rural workers, particularly women, she added.

Develop linkages

The city’s Co-operative Alliance will collaborate with relevant departments and the Việt Nam Co-operative Alliance to encourage co-operatives to participate in value chain linkages, apply technology, and implement production standards to enhance product value.

It will promote the development of OCOP products by co-operatives and help them market them.

It will also foster linkages between co-operatives and businesses to increase the scale of production and improve quality.

The city established six new co-operatives in the first quarter of this year, four in agriculture and two in transportation, taking the total number of its co-operatives to 352 with 13,732 members, according to its Co-operative Alliance.

Two of them are among the 100 exemplary co-operatives nationwide and received the “Việt Nam Co-operative Star” award at the 2025 CoopStar Awards.

They are the Khiết Tâm Co-operative in Vĩnh Thạnh District and the Nhất Tâm Trade and Production Co-operative in Ninh Kiều District. — VNS