With its efforts to boost production, stabilize the market, enhance trade promotion, expand agricultural export markets and tap local potential advantages, the industry and trade sector of Son La province has affirmed its important role and created a driving force for socioeconomic development.
The grand inauguration ceremony of the fruit and vegetable processing center in Son La province
Sending Son La agricultural products afar
Mr. Nguyen Van Bac, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, Son La province, said: Following the directions of the provincial government, the industry and trade sector has seriously urged relevant units to realize industrial production targets, ensure progress of agricultural processing projects, and boost cooperation in production, processing, trade promotion, e-commerce development and market search and development.
Accordingly, the department has actively provided information and requested other provinces and cities to coordinate and support trade promotion and connect agricultural product consumption; advised the Provincial People's Committee to organize working delegations to attend the 29th China (Pingxiang) - Vietnam International Trade Fair and the Guangxi (Pingxiang) China - Vietnam Border Tourism Festival in 2023; attended to display products at the 20th China - ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO 2023) in Nanning, China. The department also hosted and advised the Provincial People's Committee to successfully organize the Son La Coffee Trade Connection Conference; coordinated with relevant agencies to launch trade promotion programs with many provinces and cities nationwide, attract domestic and foreign partners and consumers to learn and establish trade connections.
Promoting e-commerce development, the department advised and coordinated with other agencies to bring agricultural products to e-commerce platforms like Sanviet.vn, Postmart and TikTok in a bid to expand agricultural product consumption in the province and ensure stable incomes for people.
In addition, the Department of Industry and Trade has coordinated with ministries and central branches to regularly update market information and regulations on imported and exported goods to support businesses and cooperatives to plan production and consumption and expand export markets. The province's products have been promoted, introduced and exported to markets in 21 countries and territories, including: China, Japan, South Korea, European countries, Taiwan and Middle Eastern countries.
Son La province is operating Son La coffee processing factory, Doveco Son La fruit and vegetable processing center, Song Lam Northwest fertilizer factory, and Cascara tea processing plant of Phuc Sinh Joint Stock Company. The value of exported merchandise was estimated at US$98.6 million in the first six months of 2024, up 10.8% year on year and equal to 50.3% of the full-year plan. Its key exports included cement and clinker, coffee, tea, cassava, banana, mango and longan.
With its active and effective activities, the industry and trade sector not only affirms its pivotal position in economic development but also helps Son La agricultural products go further.
Son La Province Coffee Festival 2023
Supporting businesses
Son La Provincial Planning for the 2021 - 2030 period, with a vision to 2050, states: Developing a multi-sectoral, multi-field, comprehensive, rapid and sustainable economy, and strongly transforming the economic structure together with changing the growth pattern. By 2030, Son La will become a modern agricultural product processing center in the Northern Midlands and Mountains region, and a top producer of renewable energy in the northern region.
To accomplish this goal, in the coming time, the sector will continue to grasp production and business situations of local companies; and promptly support them to tackle their emerging obstacles to accelerate production and business recovery, Bac said.
The sector will continue to focus on developing the agricultural product processing industry as per Resolution 06/NQ-TU dated January 21, 2021 of the Executive Board of the Provincial Party Committee; support and facilitate investors to effectively operate their large-scale processing factories like TH Group's fruit and medicinal processing factory, ICFoods Group's factory in Van Ho , Nafoods Tay Bac export fruit processing factory in Moc Chau, and Doveco Son La fruit and vegetable processing center of Dong Giao Export Food Joint Stock Company in Mai Son district.
The Department of Industry and Trade will regularly review, update, and propose adding new projects to the investment attraction list in the 2021 - 2025 period; attract investment capital for industrial zone development, large-scale agricultural processing industry and clean industry; and continue to attract labor-intensive industrial projects and logistics centers in Mai Son, Moc Chau and Van Ho districts and Long Sap Border Gate Economic Zone. It will encourage investors to develop renewable energy and clean energy such as wind power, biomass power and solar power.
In trade, the Department of Industry and Trade will launch effective plans to develop commercial infrastructure and border-gate economic zones after being approved by competent authorities; strengthen management and improve the operational quality of traditional markets; closely monitor market price developments and promptly have adjustment solutions to ensure supply and demand balance and stabilize the market in case of necessity; and facilitate smooth transportation and trade of goods.
The sector will improve the effect of trade promotion, connect supply and demand, and implement consistent solutions to develop the domestic market and expand export markets. It will develop e-commerce, boost marketing and encourage consumption of domestic products; select potential products to design and launch separate trade promotion programs; attract investors in retail stores that sell local agricultural products and specialty foods as well as showrooms introduce and sell OCOP products and typical rural industrial products.
At the same time, the sector will continue to speed up administrative reform, with focus on administrative procedure reform, to reduce the service time and cost for businesses and people, helping create an enabling environment for business development.
“In 2024, the Son La industry and trade sector will strive to increase industrial production by 5.2%, total retail sales of consumer goods to VND33,800 billion and the merchandise export value to US$196 million, helping boost local socioeconomic development," he said.
By Le Nam, Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
October 2024
Hanoi