Que Phong opens stores to help people sell their agricultural products.

(Baonghean) - Setting up a stall about 30 square meters in size.²In Kim Son town, Que Phong district, authorities are actively working to help local people sell their agricultural products.

The small stall, named "Exhibition and Introduction of Typical Products of Que Phong District," is modestly located in Kim Son town, at the intersection of National Highway 48 and the road leading to Tri Le commune. Sam Thi Yen, a recent graduate of Vinh University, who manages the stall, always smiles and wears a traditional Thai ethnic dress. She says she is very happy that the district trusted and selected her to work there, with a starting salary of 3 million VND per month.

Currently, the number of customers is increasing, and every day many villagers come to sell their agricultural products. On some days, there are over 30 customers. To date, after 4 months of operation, the store has over 100 agricultural products, double the number compared to the first month of opening.

Mr. Lang Minh Quoc Bao is selling his rattan and bamboo products at the booth. Photo: Nguyen Son

Meeting Mr. Lang Minh Quoc Bao in Block 3, Kim Son town, who came to pick up his products, he told me: “I have been making rattan and bamboo products for 35 years. Since the district opened its store, my products have been ordered by many people, and my family's income has increased. But I am even happier that our traditional rattan and bamboo products are favored by many people…”

As for Mr. Lo Hai Truyen in Na Nga village, Muong Ngoc commune, who was awarded the title of "Skilled Craftsman in Bamboo and Rattan Weaving" by the Provincial People's Committee in 2016, he has nearly 40 years of experience in the traditional weaving craft of the Thai ethnic group. His products are exquisitely crafted; therefore, items such as rattan trays, chairs, rice presses, and storage baskets cannot keep up with orders. Among the many products Mr. Truyen consigned for sale at the district's booth, the rattan trays, priced from 2.5 to 3 million VND each, are particularly popular with customers.

At the booth, there were also many kinds of precious medicinal herbs for sale, selected, processed, and packaged by the District Traditional Medicine Association and its branches, along with instructions for use. These included golden flower tea, the root of the *Musa acuminata* tree, *Cynomorium coccineum*, *Codonopsis pilosula*, *Solanum nigrum*, native *Artemisia capillaris*, wild banana seeds, etc.

According to a representative of the Hai Thanh herbal processing facility in Kim Son town, since the establishment of the district's booth, the facility's products have been widely introduced and sold more strongly, creating favorable conditions for increased procurement of products from local farmers. In 2016, the facility exported 5 tons of herbal products, and in the first three months of 2017, it sold nearly 2 tons.

Mr. Le Van Giap, Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee and Chairman of the District People's Committee, shared: "During many visits to remote and disadvantaged communes, I saw that ethnic minority people produced many unique products, but faced difficulties in sales. After considering the situation, I found that there are few businesses in the area that are good partners with the people. Therefore, the district decided to open a stall to help people sell their products. Initially, the district allocated a salary to an official in charge of the stall and sold the products at the price requested by the people, without charging commissions or profit margins."

Every week, the leaders of Que Phong district inspect the operation of the stall. Photo: Nguyen Son

Statistics after 4 months of operation show that the stall sells an average of about 3.5 million VND worth of goods to local people each day. Monthly, the stall and the unit directly in charge, the District's Rural and Mountainous Development Board, evaluate the value of products from the communes to advise district and commune leaders on production directions; for example, products from Muong Ngoc commune sold for 97.9 million VND (bamboo and rattan weaving, brocade, medicinal herbs, etc.); products from Kim Son town sold for 48.8 million VND…

Ms. Sam Thi Yen, the person in charge of the stall, added that most people in the communes have now confidently sent their goods to sell. If people from remote communes send their goods, she suggested that the district provide a portion of working capital to pay them in advance so they don't have to make multiple trips. For communes closer to the town or in the surrounding area, a portion of the product value can be paid in advance when they send goods for sale.

In reality, many clean agricultural products are highly valued and sought after by customers, but are unavailable due to limited production scale in the communes, dependence on seasonal factors, or low harvest yields. To widely promote the products of the local people, in addition to displaying them at the stall, Ms. Yen also takes photos and provides information to customers daily on social media platforms such as Facebook and Zalo.

To continue supporting the local people, according to Mr. Le Van Giap, Chairman of the People's Committee of Que Phong district, the district Party Committee and government are studying and developing mechanisms suitable for each product and commodity to promote economic development in the communes. The district is also focusing on directing economic development according to the model of household groups, cooperatives, farms, and family farms with a commodity production orientation, creating more jobs, increasing income, and alleviating poverty for the people.

“Following the success of the stall model that helps people sell typical products in Que Phong, the district will promote the establishment of a Trade Union to enhance proactiveness and self-reliance; and at the same time continue the mechanism to support the opening of similar stalls in Vinh City. This will increase the ability to promote the district's products and have a positive impact on production development in the district,” Mr. Le Van Giap further shared.

Nguyen Son