When the Cooperative Law was issued in 2012, the cooperative model remained initially ineffective until the Government-backed One Commune One Product (OCOP) was launched.

To deploy the OCOP Program in 2018 - 2020 period, Son La province has issued many cooperative development support policies to make, process and trade agricultural products and the Provincial People’s Committee held online conferences with districts and cities to introduce, implement and start the program. Accordingly, the OCOP Program will be conducted synchronously throughout the province to develop the rural economy. Impacted villages will be increased internal strength, increased value and inspired high entrepreneurial spirit.

Over the past time, cooperatives have played an effective role in connecting member households, creating jobs, stabilizing rural people’s life, and building the new countryside. In the first six months of 2019, Son La province established 33 cooperatives, bringing total cooperatives to 588, an increase of 338% over 2015 and 106% over 2018, including 480 agricultural cooperatives, 17 handicraft cooperatives, 25 construction cooperatives, eight people's credit funds, 56 tourism and trade cooperatives, and two transport cooperatives.

In order for the cooperatives to operate effectively, the Son La Cooperative Alliance has further provided advice and support for cooperatives under the Law on Cooperatives, directed formulating business and production plans, preparing loan documents and appraising borrowing projects from the provincial cooperative development support fund. As of the end of June 20, 2019, the total budget for development support was over VND7.9 billion and 26 cooperatives were lent VND6.2 billion for production and business and 22 cooperatives were financed VND29 billion by credit institutions.

Ngoc Dan

  THE PROGRAM COOPERATED WITH CENTRAL COORDINATION FOR NEW-STYLE RURAL