Tan Thanh Agricultural Cooperative has signed a contract to supply seeds to and buy the production of more than 300 local households planting tumeric.

Tan Thanh Agricultural Cooperative, established in 2017 in Tan Thanh village, Bac Kan city, specializes in making turmeric-based healthcare products.

This was a brave decision because in 2017 turmeric trees were locally grown on a very small scale. Few people dared to grow turmeric on a large scale.

Thanks to Tan Thanh’s investment in factories for on-site processing, turmeric cultivation has increased from 30 ha to 200 ha this year.

Tan Thanh Cooperative has signed a contract to supply seeds to, and buy the production of, more than 300 households in three districts in the area.

Nguyen Thi Hong Minh, the Cooperative’s Director, said, “When deciding to work with a cooperative, local farmers studied the situation carefully and put their trust in us.”

“We have signed a contract with the farmers to buy their turmeric at 22 US cents per kilo even if the market price drops. But if the market price goes up, we will buy at the market price. After signing the contract, the farmers become more responsible in selecting varieties, planting, tending, and harvesting in line with the Cooperative’s standards," said Minh.

Bac Kan has 220 new-style cooperatives. Ninety-seven of 108 communes have applied the model, and half of the 131 local products sold under the “One Commune, One Product” program are produced by new-style cooperatives.

Harvesting green squash in Ba Be (Photo: baobackan.org.vn)

Bac Kan has dozens of large chains and many small chains growing, processing, and distributing arrowroot in Na Ri, green squash in Ba Be, turmeric in Pac Nam, and ginger in Cho Moi.

Hoang Van Chuong of Na Buoc commune told VOV that he was very happy “because with the wholesale contract signed with the cooperative we can feel secure growing arrowroot. The cooperative provides seeds, phosphate fertilizer, and training. Having neighbours involved in the model also makes us feel secure.”

Duong Van Huan, Chairman of the provincial Cooperatives Alliance, said Bac Can will continue to promulgate policies to help cooperatives expand markets and improve product quality.

“In the past, Bac Kan's agricultural products had little variety and poor packaging. Most of them were consumed locally,” said Huan.

He took arrowroot vermicelli as an example, recalling, “it was well-known but could only be sold locally. Everything changed in 2016 when Bac Can reorganized its cooperative system, pursuant to the 2012 Law on Cooperatives to pay more attention to quality, branding, and packaging.”

“Bac Can’s farm produce now is higher quality and more attractive. It is one of the few localities that has many OCOP products at 3-star level or higher,” Huan affirmed.