Quang Ninh (VNA) – Authorities of the northern province of Quang Ninh have taken a series of trade connection activities to support businesses an♍d cooperatives in the locality in promoting the stable sale of local products in the domestic and foreign markets, towards sustainable export.

Quang Ninh possesses strengths and potential for commodity production-oriented agriculture development. Over the recent times, local authorities have systematically implemented measures to develop concentrated agricultural production areas, with 16 out of the 17 areas having expanded their acreage beyond the set targets. The province has so far boasted over 1,065 ha of certified VietGAP cultivation areas, over 30,000 agro-forestry-aquatic production and business establishments, over 400 agricultural and aquatic processing facilities under the management of the agriculture sector, and 219 production entities participating in the One Commune, One Product (OCOP) programme with 336 products meeting 3-5 star standards. With unique regional specialties, the province consistently focuses on ensuring the quality of products, while highlighting the inherent local strengths, thus promoting market connections and fostering sustainable development for each product. The provincial Department of Industry and Trade has coordinated with relevant agencies to organise connection programmes, trade promotion weeks and fairs, contributing to promoting the consumption of local products. In addition to traditional trade promotion methods, relevant units have also implemented various technology-based trade promotion, and supported agricultural export enterprises in applying e-commerce for their exports, including introducing products on reputable platforms such as Lazada.vn, Shopee.vn, Sendo.vn, tiki.vn, Voso.vn, and others. Quang Ninh aims to have around 8 - 10 OCOP products meeting 5-star standards by late 2025, and 100% of OCOP products affixed with electronic labels or barcodes for traceability. Moreover, the province has planned to establish a circular economy-oriented value chain, and to promote environmentally-friendly OCOP products associated with stable raw material regions. Furthermore, the locality actively engages in connecting businesses and partners through online platforms and gradually builds a database system for enterprises and agricultural production cooperatives to provide information to potential partners. According to Vice Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hoai Thuong, the agency aims to establish direct, efficient, and substantial communication channels between suppliers and distributors, and between producers and businesses, thus facilitating direct connection between buyers and sellers, reducing intermediary costs, enhancing the circulation of goods, and contributing to the formation of sustainable supply chains. In addition to the domestic market, attention has been paid to promoting trade promotion activities in foreign markets, including OCOP promotion programmes at the ASEAN-China Trade Fairs, the Vietnam-China International Tourism and Trade Fair; and those in Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. Notably, the launch of the Quang Ninh - Can Tho air route in April this year has created more opportunities for breakthroughs, helping Quang Ninh exploit the maximum potential advantages and contributing to promoting inter-regional connectivity. Thanks to the proactive involvement of sectors, and localities in promoting regional linkages and trade facilitation, local enterprises have significantly benefited and further expanded markets for their products./.