Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is now home to over 2,000 hi-tech cooperatives which are promoting smart agriculture and digital rural areas in the new-style rural development effort.
However, digital transformation process in cooperatives remains slow with a shortage of a clear strategy and specific actions.
The majority of cooperatives pursuing digital transformation are small-scale with few members. In many farming areas, cooperatives have a limited role in promoting production, trade and economic development.
As many cooperative members still have vague understanding of the concept of digital transformation and face difficulties in technological application, they are yet to be ready for the work under the current conditions.
In the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh, the provincial Cooperative Alliance has partnered with Sorimachi company to support the collective economic area and cooperatives in their digital transformation through the application of information technology in production and trade, capacity improvement, and sustainable development.
Representatives of the Cooperative Alliance in several localities shared the view that most cooperatives focus on applying technology in irrigation system, grid network, and traceability labeling. However, less attention has been paid to digital transformation in processing, management and marketing.
Another barrier to digital transformation in cooperatives is the modest availability of skilled and competent human resources, particularly in agricultural cooperatives where digitalisation and information technology skills are limited. It is worth noting that many agricultural cooperatives do not have computers or internet connectivity, and are unfamiliar with accounting software.
Therefore, the Cooperative Alliances will focus on raising awareness of the effort in the development of cooperatives. They will advise the provincial People's Committees to fine-tune and issue policies and mechanisms that facilitate digital transformation and digital economy.
Nguyen Ngoc Bao, President of the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance, vowed to develop a specific digital transformation scheme in support of cooperatives in a sustainable manner./.
