In recent years, the cooperative model has increasingly affirmed its important role in sustainable agricultural development, helping farmers reduce costs, increase income and proactively produce products. In Can Tho City, many cooperatives have become the core in building concentrated commodity production areas, associated with value chains and transforming production towards modernity.
A typical example is Hung Loi Agricultural Cooperative (Dai Ngai commune, Can Tho city), established in 2017, currently has 538 members, cultivating 609 hectares of rice. Members are supported with seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides at lower prices than the market, products are guaranteed stably, and purchasing prices are 300 - 500 VND/kg higher than outside.
According to Director of Truong Van Hung Cooperative, the unit is associated with a consumer enterprise with more than 4,000 hectares, providing 31,000 tons of commercial rice, helping members increase their income by 3 - 5 million VND/ha. In 2023, the cooperative will deploy a 90ha organic rice model, and in 2024, it will be selected to participate in the Project of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice in the Mekong Delta, with a scale of 50 hectares, affirming the direction of linking production with environmental protection.
Similarly, Tin Phat Agricultural Cooperative (Ke Sach commune, Can Tho city) is also a typical model. Established in 2005 with 40 members, the cooperative now has 320 members, cultivates 524 hectares, and has an operating capital of more than 3 billion VND. The consistent goal is to help members increase profits by at least 20% per rice crop. The cooperative signed a long-term contract with the enterprise to supply quality materials, fertilizers, and pesticides, at a price 5-7% lower than the market. Each year, the cooperative supplies 5,000 - 6,000 bags of fertilizers, with a revenue of about 7 billion VND, helping members save 20 - 25% of input costs, productivity reaches 7 - 7.5 tons/ha, profit of 70 - 80 million VND/ha/year.
Commercialist Bui Cong Minh shared: "The cooperative arranges a seasonal schedule, selects breeds, guides fertilization, and manages pests and diseases effectively, so the yield is high and the selling price is stable. People no longer worry about output or renting harvesters like before".
According to statistics, as of July 1, 2025, Can Tho City has 647 agricultural cooperatives, with a total registered charter capital of more than 601 billion VND, 20,714 members and 31,468 regular workers (of which 20,714 workers are members). Over 50% of cooperatives have signed product guarantee contracts, many units have achieved VietGAP and OCOP certifications, forming a value chain associated with the concentrated raw material area.
Vice Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee Tran Chi Hung commented that cooperatives have been clearly promoting their role in agricultural and rural development. Through linking production and consumption, the cooperative helps members reduce costs, increase product value, stabilize output, and at the same time be a bridge for farmers to access preferential capital and state support programs. Many social housing households have escaped poverty, their lives have improved, contributing to stabilizing the socio-economy of rural areas.
According to the leader of the People's Committee of Can Tho City, in the coming time, the city will develop the collective economy in a diverse and large-scale direction, expanding to the fields of industry - handicrafts, trade - services, community tourism, renewable energy, and environment. Encourage the formation of large-scale cooperatives with closed value chains, application of science and technology and digital transformation to improve operational efficiency.
