Que Phong opens a store to help people consume agricultural products

(Baonghean) - Set up a booth about 30m wide²In Kim Son town, Que Phong district, we are actively helping local people consume agricultural products.

The small booth called “Displaying and introducing typical products of Que Phong district” is located modestly in Kim Son town, at the intersection of National Highway 48 and the road to Tri Le commune. The girl Sam Thi Yen, who has just graduated from Vinh University and is assigned to manage the store, always smiles and wears Thai ethnic clothes. She said she is very happy to be trusted by the district and selected to work with a starting salary of 3 million VND/month.

Currently, more and more customers are coming and every day many people from the village come to sell agricultural products. There are days when more than 30 people come to buy goods. Up to now, after 4 months of operation, the store has more than 100 agricultural products, 2 times more than the first month of opening.

Mr. Lang Minh Quoc Bao sent bamboo and rattan products for sale at the booth. Photo: Nguyen Son

Meeting Mr. Lang Minh Quoc Bao in Block 3, Kim Son town, who came to import products, he said: “I have been making bamboo and rattan products for 35 years. Since the district opened a store, many people have ordered my products, my family's income has increased, but I am happier when our traditional bamboo and rattan products are loved by many people…”.

As for Mr. Lo Hai Truyen in Na Nga village, Muong Noc commune, who was awarded the title of Skilled Bamboo and Rattan Weaving Worker by the Provincial People's Committee in 2016, he has been involved in the traditional weaving craft of the Thai people for nearly 40 years. His products are very sophisticated; therefore, items such as rattan trays, chairs, sticky rice presses, and storage baskets cannot be produced in time for orders. Among the many products Mr. Truyen consigned for sale at the district's booth, rattan trays priced from 2.5 to 3 million VND each are chosen by many customers.

At the booth, there are also many precious medicinal herbs for sale, selected, processed, packaged by the District Oriental Medicine Association and its branches, along with instructions for use. These include golden flower tea, gum root, jade plant, codonopsis pilosula, ca gai leo, native wormwood, wild banana seeds, etc.

According to the representative of Hai Thanh medicinal herb processing facility in Kim Son town, since the district booth was opened, the facility's products have been widely introduced and consumed more strongly, creating conditions for increasing the purchase of products from the cultivation and exploitation of local people. In 2016, this facility sold 5 tons of medicinal herbs and in the first 3 months of 2017, it sold nearly 2 tons of products.

Mr. Le Van Giap - Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the District People's Committee shared: "In many times working in remote communes, I saw that ethnic people can make many typical products, but have difficulties in consumption. Through practical consideration, there are few businesses in the area that accompany the people well, so the district is determined to open a booth to help people consume the products. Initially, the district arranged a salary for an officer in charge of the booth and sold the products at the price requested by the people, without collecting commission or profit percentage".

Every week, Que Phong district leaders check the booth's activities. Photo: Nguyen Son

Statistics after 4 months of operation show that on average, the stall sells about 3.5 million VND worth of goods to the villagers each day. Every month, the stall and the unit directly in charge, the District Mountainous Rural Development Board, organize an assessment of the value of products from the communes to advise the district and commune leaders on production guidelines; typically, products from people in Muong Noc commune sold for 97.9 million VND (rattan, brocade, medicinal herbs, etc.); products from people in Kim Son town sold for 48.8 million VND, etc.

Ms. Sam Thi Yen - the person in charge of the booth added that up to now, most people in the communes have boldly sent goods for sale. If people from remote communes send goods, she suggested that the district advance a part of the working capital to pay in advance for people so that they do not have to go many times. Meanwhile, nearby communes or towns can pay in advance a part of the value of the products when sending for sale.

In reality, there are many clean agricultural products that are highly appreciated and sought after by customers but are not available, because the scale of production in the communes is not large and depends on the season or due to low exploitation output. To widely promote the products of the local people, in addition to displaying and introducing at the booth, Ms. Yen also takes photos and provides information to customers on social networks such as Facebook and Zalo every day.

To continue accompanying the local people, according to Mr. Le Van Giap - Chairman of Que Phong District People's Committee, the Party Committee and the district government are researching and building a mechanism suitable for each product and item to promote economic development in the communes. The district also focuses on directing economic development according to the model of household groups, cooperatives, farms, and family farms with the direction of commodity production, creating more jobs, increasing income, eliminating hunger and reducing poverty for the people.

“After the success of the booth model helping people sell typical products in Que Phong, the district will promote the establishment of the HXT to enhance initiative and autonomy; at the same time, continue the mechanism to support the opening of similar booths in Vinh city. Thereby, increasing the ability to promote the district's products, impacting production development activities in the district" - Mr. Le Van Giap shared more.

Nguyen Son