Speaking yesterday at the opening ceremony of a programme to introduce products produced by southern co-operatives, VCA chairman Vo Kim Cu said they were also now building brands for their products and creating supply chains.
The country had nearly 20,000 co-operatives operating in various sectors, with many exporting their products like handicrafts and farm produce, he said.
Nguyen Quoc Hai, chairman of the 220-member Can Tho Cooperative Alliance, said, "We have worked to help our members improve their management and develop linkages from production to consumption to help them prepare well for integration.
"We will continue doing so in the coming time."
Tra fish production co-operatives in Can Tho, a major tra farming centre, tend to produce fish that meet export standards, he said, adding that they have developed close links with processing companies to ensure outlets for their fish.
Thoi An Co-operative and Thang Loi Co-operative were among the very successful ones in Can Tho, with the latter, for instance, earning revenues of more than VND100 billion a year, he said.
Cu said co-operatives, despite making progress, encounter difficulties such as lack of funds and qualified human resources.
The VCA would co-operate with relevant agencies to make it easier for co-operatives to borrow, he said, calling on co-operatives to attach greater importance to training human resources.
More than 50 co-operatives based in the south showed off their products to more than 200 domestic and foreign business groups, hotels, restaurants, and retailers at the Saigontourist Hospitality College in Tan Binh District.
It was organised by the Southern Centre for Support and Development of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises and other organisations.
