The development of the internet creates favorable conditions for many farmers, production and business households and cooperatives to have more opportunities to introduce and bring agricultural products to the market. In particular, the appearance of online stores on e-commerce platforms has helped Hung Yen agricultural products reach consumers faster and more effectively.

A livestream promoting and selling agricultural products at Yem Thuy garden house, Ham Tu commune (Khoai Chau)

Mr. Nguyen Quang Dien, Director of Tien Chau Pho Hien Cooperative, Hong Nam commune (Hung Yen city) said: Since 2020, after introducing and selling products on such a number of e-commerce platforms as: Voso, Shopee , Postmart, the cooperative's products are known to more people, reaching many customers inside and outside the province, at the same time opening more agents, creating more distribution channels... Thanks to that, the consumer market is expanded, the cooperative has conditions to develop production and business. In particular, this year, the e-commerce channel has become the main consumption channel of the cooperative with about 70% of agricultural products consumed through this channel. This year, the cooperative has harvested 50 tons of longan, produced 30 tons of dried longan, 4 tons of lotus-wrapped longan, and 20 tons of honey. This also poses requirements for the cooperative to improve product quality combined with focusing on product design and packaging, enhancing promotion and expanding market...

The Mien Thiet Longan Cooperative, Ham Tu commune (Khoai Chau) has invested in production following VietGAP direction, the cooperative's longan products are highly appreciated. The cooperative not only proactively connects product consumption in the province, but also expands consumption channels into supermarket chains and fresh food stores; develops online sales. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy in An Canh village, a member of the cooperative shared as follows: My family has more than 2 acres of longan trees, before I still sold products in the traditional way, which is to rely on traders as well as find the small consumption through acquaintances. From 2020 up to now, I have participated in online sales skills training classes and recorded and live-streamed images of ripe longan bunches in the garden on Facebook. Many customers are excited and interested in watching, invite more friends to comment and order. At the peak of this year's harvest, one day, my family sold 2 quintals of longan and 1 quintal of dried longan through e-commerce channels. From here, many customers know the brand and quality of the family's longans, helping to sell products more conveniently.

According to information from the Department of Industry and Trade, currently, many cooperatives, units, and business households in the province have been guided by authorities and gradually become familiar with online sales channels. In the province, there are a total of nearly 16,800 organizations and individuals participating in large and reputable e-commerce platforms (such as Sendo, Shopee, Postmart) with over 212,000 products. Among them, there are a lot of organizations and individuals trading Hung Yen agricultural products such as: Longan, lychee, orange, turmeric starch, lotus seeds, dried longan, honey... Besides, the Department of Industry and Trade maintains the operation of the province's e-commerce platform at http://ecomhungyen.vn with dozens of booths introducing and selling the province's specialty agricultural products.

To develop e-commerce, the Department of Industry and Trade has actively implemented projects under the National E-commerce Development Program in 2023: "Building software for online distribution chain of agricultural products in Hung Yen province" and "Building online promotion solution for Vietnamese goods in Hung Yen province". To coordinate with socio-political organizations, unions, associations, and businesses to organize training conferences and disseminate knowledge and trading skills on e-commerce platforms to households, cooperatives, and production and business units. To coordinate with press agencies in the province to strengthen propaganda about e-commerce and the province's e-commerce trading floor; support businesses to build e-commerce websites for businesses and cooperatives in the province; deploy application of product traceability stamps; many banks deploy online bank account services, digital banking applications...

Reality shows that, compared to traditional consumption methods, online sales channels are not simply a bridge between production and consumers, but also a channel to promote and introduce Hung Yen's agricultural products to domestic and foreign markets in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The biggest benefit that the e-commerce platform brings is to help farmers consume products, increase sales and boost production and business activities. However, promoting agricultural products on e-commerce platforms today also faces many difficulties, because this is a new consumption method for farmers; most of the province's agricultural products are produced on a small scale and seasonal; some types of agricultural products such as fresh longan and lychee have a short preservation time and are difficult to transport in a long distance...

To promote the effectiveness of the e-commerce channel, in the coming time, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Department of Industry and Trade will continue to propagate and support businesses, farmers, and cooperatives to improve quality, product design and packaging to ensure food safety and traceability to create reputation and trust for customers.