On October 12, the provincial Business Association held a meeting to honour outstanding businesses and entrepreneurs on the occasion of the Vietnamese Entrepreneurs' Day, October 13.

Chieng Ban commune, Mai Son district, has 1,250 hectares of coffee. So far this year, local farmers have harvested about one third of the area, with an estimated fresh coffee cherry output of 20,000 tonnes for this crop.

With the goal of forming a specialized area for growing high-quality coffee, since the beginning of this year, Son La city has organized 18 training classes to offer instructions on techniques for improving and caring coffee trees. It has mobilized farmers to participate in coffee planting, replanting, and grafting projects.

The Son La Coffee Processing Factory has completed the installation of production lines and will officially become operational on the occasion of the first Son La Coffee Festival 2023, ensuring the sale of products for farmers.

Son La province’s fruit output so far this year rose significantly compared to the same period in 2022 thanks to increased growing areas, higher productivity, and development of concentrated raw material areas.

The 19/5 Agricultural Development Service Cooperative in Moc Chau Farm township, Moc Chau district was established in 2000 with 13 members, and the number has grown to 55. The cooperative has collaborated with more than 200 farming households with 110 hectares of various crops. It has paid attention to applying scientific-technological advances to production, bringing quality and safe products to consumers.

As of September 30, the total deposits of credit institutions in Son La province had reached 32 trillion VND (1.3 billion USD), up 6.55% from December 31, 2022, while their outstanding loans had hit 43.5 trillion VND (1.78 billion USD), down 2.42%.

Son La provnce approved and issued investment decisions and investment registration certificates for 10 projects totaling 1.21 trillion VND (49.5 million USD).

To meet market demand towards export, Son La province’s agricultural sector has focused on supporting and guiding farmers and cooperatives to develop passion fruit growing area codes. To date, the province has granted codes to four passion fruit growing areas spanning 66.5 hectares.

Revenue from accommodation, catering, tourism and other services in Son La province reached over 784 billion VND (32.15 million USD) in September.

Since the outset of this year, Son La province’s export value is estimated at 128.4 million USD, up 5.68% year-on-year.

Son La province’s transportation sector has raked in more than 2.45 trillion VND (100.4 million USD) in revenue so far this year, an increase of 25% year-on-year.

The total retail sales of goods in Son La province were estimated at over 2.56 trillion VND (104.91 million USD) last month, up 16.49% from the same period last year.

Son La province saw a total of 337 new enterprises established in the first nine months of 2023.

Son La province’s total aquatic output hit 7,181 tonnes in the first nine months of this year, including 1,010 tonnes of catches and 6,171 tonnes from aquaculture, up nearly 4% and 3% year-on-year respectively.

With over 84,000 hectares of fruit and hawthorn (scientifically known as Crataegus monogyna), the total fruit output of Son La has reached 370,702 tonnes since the beginning of this year, a 4.1% rise from the same period last year.

Developing high-tech agriculture, Chieng Son commune, Moc Chau district has promoted communications and persuaded residents to change production practices and crop structures, and apply mechanization to production.

With official development assistance (ODA) loans, Son La province has focused on implementing programmes and projects aimed at addressing pressing issues regarding socio-economic infrastructure, and poverty reduction.

The provincial Union of Science and Technology Associations on September 29 organised a workshop to assess the impacts of support policies for fruit tree development in Son La province between 2017 and now.

The Vietnam Agricultural Extension Centre under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Son La province, organised a community agricultural extension workshop in developing fruit tree areas and safe crop value chains in the northern mountainous region in Moc Chau district on September 27.