Innovating Trade Promotion Activities and Supporting Businesses

Not only advising and implementing many solutions to support businesses to overcome difficulties caused by the impact of COVID-19, Vinh Long Industry and Trade Department also strengthens trade promotion activities, promotes business opportunities, and strengthens trade promotion opportunities, thereby, step by step affirming its pivotal role in economic development, ensuring local social security. Vietnam Business Forum reporter had an interview with Mr. Pham Tu Phuong, Director of Vinh Long Department of Industry and Trade, about this topic. Ngoc Tung reports.

How do you evaluate the development and role of industry and commerce 30 years after the re-establishment of Vinh Long province?

In 30 years of accompanying the province's innovation and rise, the Industry and Trade Department has made great progress. Industry and handicrafts have continuously made breakthroughs, making good use of local raw materials, creating jobs, increasing incomes, and improving the lives of local workers.

From the small-scale industry, up to now, the province has formed 3 industrial zones with a total area of 735.79 ha. By 2021, the industrial production value was 40.34 times higher than in 1992, the average growth in the period 1992-2021 reached 13.12%/year. The proportion of the industry-construction sector in the provincial economic structure increased to 17.78% in 2021 from less than 10% in 1992.

Besides, the commercial system has also developed strongly. Goods are rich and diverse, especially the modern, convenient, online form of commerce, to meet the needs of the people. The province has 115 markets, 5 supermarkets, 50 convenience stores and 1 trade center. Total retail sales of consumer goods and services in 2021 reached VND 54 trillion, an increase of 99.7 times compared to 1992, an average growth rate of 16.56% per year.

Foreign trade activities are constantly developing. Exported goods are increasingly rich and diverse, based on the potential and strengths of the province such as leather shoes, garments, handicrafts and fruit trees. Many products meet VietGap and GlobalGap standards for export. By 2021, export turnover reached USD 550 million, 33.4 times higher than in 1992, with the average growth over the period of 12.41%/year.

In the context of the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, in order to fulfill the "dual goal" of both fighting the epidemic and developing the economy, how is the industry's focus on accompanying businesses to support and promote trade?

Facing the complicated developments of the COVID-19 epidemic, Vinh Long Department of Industry and Trade actively coordinated to survey and grasp the problems of enterprises to promptly remove difficulties and maintain production development. In addition, to support businesses, the Department also reformed administrative procedures, exempted and reduced electricity bills, taxes and interest rates, according to Resolution 11/NQ-CP of the Government on the program of socio-economic recovery and development.

Besides, the Department identifies trade promotion as an important factor, bridging cooperation between enterprises, distributors and consumers. Trade promotion activities in the province are increasingly professional and in-depth.

The Department has worked closely with the the Department of Industry and Trade of the provinces and cities, especially the big cities of the Mekong Delta  and the whole country to connect the consumption of agricultural products. Every year, the Department organizes a conference to connect supply and demand in Vinh Long province, inviting distribution systems to connect with enterprises and cooperatives of the province, thereby creating trade opportunities for businesses and cooperatives to link, establish distribution channels, and expand consumption markets.

As planned, in 2022, the Department will coordinate to organize trade promotion programs such as: Rice Festival; “Vietnamese people give priority to using Vietnamese goods”; Festival of Agricultural Products in the Mekong Delta or OCOP (One Commune, One Product) Exhibition in the Mekong Delta-Vinh Long 2022. The Department will also organize a conference to connect supply and demand of Vinh Long goods.

Activities to support enterprises have contributed to strongly improving the investment and business environment of the province in a favorable and open direction, thereby, helping Vinh Long to be the province whose PCI index is always among the top of the country.

Vinh Long province is strongly developing e-commerce. So in the coming time, how will the industry focus on plans and solutions to apply information technology and digital transformation in trade promotion activities?

In the past time, the Department has strengthened trade promotion on digital platforms, online export marketing; promoting non-cash payments at transaction points, etc. Along with that, the Department has implemented programs to connect and put products on major e-commerce platforms: Voso, Sendo, Shopee, Postmart.

In particular, on March 31, 2022, the Chairman of Vinh Long Provincial People's Committee issued Plan to implement the Project "Promoting the application of information technology and digital transformation in trade promotion activities" in 2022 and the plan framework plan for the period 2022 - 2025. The goal is that by 2025, 100% of trade promotion agencies, about 300 establishments, enterprises, cooperatives and business households in the province will be granted accounts on the Digital Trade Promotion Ecosystem; building a database system serving trade promotion in order to gradually connect with Digital trade promotion ecosystem; and 20% of the province's fairs and exhibitions are held in the digital environment.

In 2022, we will evaluate the current status of information technology application and digital transformation in trade promotion activities; building a database system serving trade promotion in order to effectively connect with the trade promotion Ecosystem; improving the capacity of digital transformation in trade promotion. It is expected that the total budget for implementation in the period 2022 - 2025 is about VND 3.14 billion, of which the central budget is about VND 1.2 billion and the rest is the provincial budget.

Thank you very much!

Source: Vietnam Business Forum