All agricultural co-operatives in Cà Mau Province use drones to spray plant protection chemicals on rice fields. — VNA/VNS Photo

CÀ MAU — Co-operatives in Cà Mau Province are speeding up digital transformation to improve production and business efficiency.

They have made a great deal of progress in recent years, gradually affirming their role in socio-economic development.

Many have developed value chains for their products and applied digital solutions to expand markets.

The Ba Khía Đầm Dơi Co-operative in Quách Phẩm Commune produces fermented ba khía (three-striped crab), a speciality of the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta, and its digital transformation enables it to sell its products online.

Trần Thị Xa, its director, said: “At first, no one in the co-operative knew how to livestream or post product information on social media. However, members learned how to create a fanpage, use business accounts on Zalo, register on platforms like Shopee and TikTok Shop, shoot photos and produce videos, and apply QR codes for traceability.

“Within a few months orders increased sharply, and customers in Hà Nội, Đà Nẵng as well as Australia and Thailand began to recognise the Ba Khía Đầm Dơi brand.”

After two years of digital adoption, the co-operative’s revenues have risen by more than 30 per cent, and its products now enjoy steady demand throughout the year, she said.

“For us, each online order is a joy because it means one more person knows the traditional craft of the Đầm Dơi area, helping local products reach further.”

The province now has more than 600 co-operatives, including 480 operating in agriculture, according to the Cà Mau Co-operative Alliance.

The number has increased steadily each year as awareness among authorities and the public of the role of the collective economy has risen.

Between 2020 and 2025, some 40–50 new co-operatives were established annually in the province, the alliance said.

Tô Minh Đương, deputy director of the province Department of Industry and Trade, said with the rapid development of the digital economy, digital transformation has become an important growth driver, improving the competitiveness of all economic actors, including co-operatives. 

Digitalisation helps co-operatives optimise production, apply blockchain-based traceability, improve business efficiency through e-commerce, and use electronic payments more conveniently, he said.

To support deeper digital adoption, the Department of Industry and Trade has organised two to three e-commerce training courses each year for enterprises, co-operatives and production establishments.

It has organised courses on e-commerce-related regulations and training in using digital platforms this year.

The department has supported the development of e-commerce websites to create additional promotion channels for enterprises and co-operatives, including 46 for makers of products recognised under the national One Commune–One Product (OCOP) programme, typical rural industrial products and provincial specialities.

In addition, it has mobilised 170 sellers to offer 835 products on madeincamau.com and baclieutrade.vn, and helped 56 OCOP producers market and sell 110 products on Buudien.vn.

Nguyễn Văn Vũ, chairman of the Cà Mau Co-operative Alliance, said the alliance would continue to proactively advise the province Party Committee and People’s Committee on policies for helping co-operatives make the digital transformation, trade promotion, concessional loans, training, and infrastructure investment.

The alliance will also strengthen communication, raise awareness of the benefits of digital transformation, and organise training in digital skills, e-commerce, branding, and traceability, he said.

It plans to select outstanding co-operatives in key areas such as ecological shrimp farming, rice–shrimp farming, aquaculture, food processing and community tourism, and help them develop digital transformation models to replicate across the province, he revealed.

It also plans to work with companies and banks to create production and business management software, electronic notebooks, traceability platforms, and cashless payment systems while supporting co-operatives in developing websites, fanpages, QR codes, and e-commerce stalls, he said.

“Promoting digital transformation linked with value chain development is an important solution to optimise product value, expand markets, and serve as a key driver of the strong and sustainable growth of the province’s collective economy.” — VNS