Scene at the signing ceremony (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Department of Cooperatives and Rural Development and non-governmental Good Neighbors International (GNI) signed a pact on March 7 to develop new cooperative models and farm produce value chains in Vietnam.
The agreement will support the establishment and operation of agricultural cooperatives and development of farm produce value chains in areas where the GNI is running its income-generation projects.
Between 2018 and 2020, the two sides are set to build a suitable action plan, carry out research and surveys on demand and consumption of agricultural products, promote the products, and help producers build trademarks for their goods.
Ma Quang Trung, Director of the Department of Cooperatives and Rural Development, said only 38 percent of Vietnam’s 12,000 cooperatives are working effectively. Vietnamese cooperatives often have small scale, and their members earn low incomes and face various difficulties in selling their products.
According to An Yong Sic, chief of GNI representative office in Vietnam, the organization has collaborated with more than 1,000 farmers in Thanh Hoa, Hoa Binh, and Tuyen Quang provinces, and with a numbers of shopping malls and convenience stores in Hanoi. Currently, many of the farmers’ goods are on shelves of Kmart, Lotte mart, and Vinmart stores in the capital city.
Established in 1991, GNI implements community development projects globally to improve quality of life and access to education, as well as to provide aid in areas of civil unrest or natural disasters. Opened in 2005, GNI Vietnam has initiated many programs in underprivileged areas of the country, including sponsorship, case management, education and protection, health care, water-sanitation, income generation, raising awareness of local residents, and emergency relief.-VNA
VNA
