The province currently has 955 cooperatives, 786 of which are operational, including 684 in the agricultural sector. These cooperatives are gradually fulfilling their roles in organising production, establishing raw material zones, and forging linkages with businesses and markets. Alongside modernising production methods, many have begun applying digital technologies to management, product traceability, promotion, and sales.

To date, 63 cooperatives have received support to obtain growing area codes. Cooperatives have also been granted up to 20 million VND (769 USD) to implement QR-code-based electronic traceability systems and have received guidance on using production logging and accounting software.

Across the province, 70 agricultural products have been listed on the "buudien.vn" platform, while 60 products are featured on "sonla.sanviet.vn." However, the majority of these cooperatives remain small-scale, with uneven capabilities regarding management, digital transformation, branding, and market integration.

Participants discussed modern management, digital transformation, and the development of agricultural brands linked to eco-tourism; and the application of AI and technological innovation to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of cooperatives; and the strengthening of linkages for sustainable cooperative development.

Cooperatives, farmers, and specialised agencies touched upon challenges encountered during production innovation and proposed solutions regarding governance, technology, markets, and production-to-consumption linkages.

The forum provided an opportunity for cooperatives to update their knowledge, gain practical experience, and access solutions for real-world application. It also fostered connections with specialised agencies and businesses, helping to gradually enhance governance capacity, accelerate digital transformation, build brands, expand markets, and increase the value of Son La’s agricultural products./.