The Da Nang Farmers' Association has worked with the Da Nang Post Office to support local farmers to boost digital transformation, join the digital economy, and promote the production and consumption of agricultural products on e-commerce platforms.

By accessing e-commerce channels, farmers in Da Nang can promote their agricultural products and expand consumption markets. In the photo: A customer choosing to buy OCOP products at the Da Nang OCOP Product Supermarket located at 07 Nguyen Thai Hoc. Photo: THIEN NGUYEN

In late April 2022, the municipal Farmers' Association and the Da Nang Post Office signed a cooperation agreement on supporting farmers to boost digital transformation in production and consumption of agricultural products and goods during the 2021-2025 period.

Under the agreement, in 2022, the two sides will together introduce agricultural products produced by farming households at https://postmart.vn/, an e-commerce trading floor specialising in selling agricultural products and goods of Viet Nam, as well as foster the connection and consumption of agricultural products through the abovementioned trading floor and their point-of-sale systems.

In addition, the Da Nang Post Office will develop product and service packages with preferential policies for chapters the Association at grassroots level and their members, and farmers, to implement promotion and communications plans on digital transformation in agriculture.

Vice Chairman of the municipal Farmers' Association Nguyen Kim Dung said that this was an opportunity for farmers, agricultural production households, family-run businesses, cooperatives and cooperative groups to join the e-commerce floor in order to promote their products, open new distribution channels and expand their consumption markets at both home and abroad.

“This will help them to promote the consumption of agricultural products, thereby contributing to avoiding agricultural products stuck at border gates during the harvest season, reducing relevant costs, improving the value of agricultural products, and avoiding their heavy reliance on traders and other intermediaries” added he.

Mr. Huynh Duc Sol, the manager of Ba Lieu Me’s ‘banh kho me’ (dried sesame seed cakes) manufacturing establishment in Cam Le District’s Hoa Tho Dong Ward, said aside from such traditional sales channels supermarkets and specialty stores, his establishment's products have been sold on a number of e-commerce trading floors.

He underlined that the digitisation of business activities was an inevitable trend in line with actual needs. He, therefore, asked for support from functional units to help farmers or production facilities get acquainted with the way of selling and promoting products, and digitising business activities.

According to Deputy Director of the Da Nang Post Office Dao Sy Toan, it is necessary to help farmers understand the benefits of selling their products online on e-commerce platforms or online sales channels.

In fact, farmers' products are mostly sold and consumed in traditional trade channels such as markets, supermarkets, etc. Besides, although e-commerce has developed strongly in recent years, farmers have limited access to this sales channel.

Up to now, the Da Nang Post Office has updated more than 100 products of facilities with OCOP and typical rural industrial products on Postmart.vn. At the e-commerce platform, farmers will not have to pay operating costs like in other ones.

“In the coming time, we will continue to advertise all OCOP products on the floor, as well as coordinate with the municipal Farmers' Association to collect information about more than 1,500 farming households currently producing, processing and trading agricultural products which are in demand for selling and buying products on Postmart.vn, thereby creating an ecosystem for buying, selling and exchanging goods" said Mr. Dao Sy Toan.

Forming the habit of introducing and promoting products on e-commerce channels is the first step to contribute to the digital transformation. Through e-commerce platforms, OCOP products, typical rural industries, and organic products certified under VietGAP, GlobalGAP, or equivalent standards will be widely promoted to consumers nationwide. This will create extra motivation for farmers to increase their agricultural production, introduce their new products, and improve economic efficiency.

In the coming time, the local Farmers' Association will direct its chapters at all levels to review and list the number of agricultural production households on Posmart.vn. Heed will be paid to coordinating with the Da Nang Post Office in raising awareness about digital transformation amongst farmers at all levels.

Reporting by THIEN NGUYEN - Translating by M.DUNG