After putting Son La province’s plum up for sale at the Saigon Co.op supermarket chain in Moc Chau district, the provincial People's Committee and the Saigon Union of Trading Cooperatives (Saigon Co.op) on May 25 coordinated with relevant units in organising a festival highlighting the locality’s plum and other agricultural products in Ho Chi Minh City.

Since the beginning of the year, the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has granted six new planting area codes to Son La province in service of exports, raising the total number in the locality to 293.

Since the beginning of the crop, Son La province has sold nearly 18,000 tonnes of plums in the domestic market, with an estimated value of over 383 billion VND (15 million USD).

A range of culture, tourism and “One Commune-One Product” (OCOP) products, along with traditional foods of Moc Chau district and other localities were introduced at a space set up at the May 8 Square on May 17.

Right from the beginning of the year, the People's Committee of Son La province has directed departments, agencies, sectors, and People's Committees of districts and Son La city to develop plans to organise trade promotion activities to introduce and promote agricultural products in diverse forms, helping enterprises and cooperatives search for partners and sign product consumption contracts.       

Mai Son district boasts favourable soil and climate conditions for high-tech agriculture. Over the past years, it has focused on developing “One Commune-One Product” (OCOP) items, contributing to improving the competitiveness of local products and increasing income for farmers.

As a district with fertile land and a climate suitable for many types of crops, Mai Son district has zoned off commodity-oriented agricultural production areas under value chains to increase product value, contributing to promoting local socio-economic development.

Six coffee samples of Son La province competed in the Vietnam Specialty Coffee Competition 2024 (Vietnam Amazing Cup 2024), organised by the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association in the Central Highlands of Dak Lak in mid-April.

Quynh Nhai district currently has more than 10,000 hectares of reservoir water surface. This is an advantage for the district to develop cage culture and fish catch. With a large farmed and caught fish output, local cooperatives and production and business households have gradually developed typical local products and built its Da River fish brand.

Due to the impact of the prolonged El Nino phenomenon, over 6,080 out of more than 21,700 hectares of crops of all kinds in Mai Son district are suffering withered leaves and fruit dropping, thus affecting productivity, quality, and economic efficiency.

The People’s Committee of Son La province on April 22 coordinated with the Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute in organising a signing ceremony for a cooperation agreement on the implementation of the "Smart farming for the future generation" project at the Moc Chau area for research, application and transfer of scientific and technological advances in the agricultural and forestry sectors.

Since the beginning of this year, local authorities and agencies in Son La province have directed the organisation of agricultural production; promoted dissemination and guided people on techniques to plant and care for fruit trees, especially following VietGAP and organic production processes to ensure quality products able to serve both domestic and export markets.

Son La province is striving to export over 26,950 tonnes of fruits in 2024, earning over 34 million USD, a year-on-year increase of 4.4%.

Son La province is showcasing its products at the 2024 Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM), taking place at the Hanoi Friendship Cultural Palace from April 11-14.

Promoting local advantages, over the past years, Hung Thinh Cooperative in Sub-zone 3, Muong Bu commune, Muong La district has gathered and linked farmer households to develop fruit trees in a clean, safe, and value chain-based manner, bringing in high economic efficiency.

Son La province currently has 615 hectares of strawberries, mainly in Mai Son, Moc Chau, Yen Chau, Thuan Chau districts and Son La city. The output in 2024 is estimated to reach about 7,400 tonnes.

Promoting the development of digital and telecommunications infrastructure, Yen Chau district has focused on investing in remote communes and deploying 4G mobile networks in all areas.

Son La province’s total postal and telecommunications revenue in the first quarter was estimated at over 416 billion VND (16.6 million USD), up 1.86% year-on-year.

In the first quarter of 2024, Son La province planted nearly 5,120 hectares of all kinds of vegetables, an increase of nearly 5.4% over the same period last year, with output reaching 55,230 tonnes, up over 6.3% year-on-year.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Cong worked with representatives from the Wincommerce General Commercial Services Joint Stock Company and the Central Retail Corporation in Hanoi on April 3 on cooperation agreements in selling agricultural products of Son La province in the 2024-2026 period.