E-commerce platforms are gradually becoming an effective distribution channel for agricultural product sales along with traditional ones. Seizing that opportunity, Farmers' Union chapters in Hoa Binh province have carried out many activities to help farmers access scientific and technological advances and apply them to their production, especially providing training for them on selling goods on e-commerce platforms, thereby promoting the development of rural digital economy, ensuring income for farmers.

Hoang Quoc Dat, Chairman of the Lac Thuy District Farmers' Union, said over the past five years, Farmers' Union chapters in the district have coordinated with the district Post Office and Viettel Post to help farming households create accounts on Postmart.vn e-commerce platform. Thus, 90 households have been supported to put their products on sale on the floor as well as on other commercial platforms.

The unions also assist units, cooperatives, and production households in selling Lac Thuy chicken products, Ngoc Han chicken eggs and Lac Thuy oranges in supermarkets in provinces and cities across the country.

Since 2021, to solve difficulties in the sales of agricultural products, the Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade collaborated with Vietnam Post Corporation (Vnpost) to implement a programme to support farmers and farm owners nationwide in selling safe agricultural produce and foods through live streaming on social media. 

As a bridge to assist farmers in applying digital technology to agricultural production and business, in September 2021, the provincial Farmers' Union, Post Office, and Cooperative Alliance signed a coordination programme to help cooperatives, cooperative groups, and member households to open shops on e-commerce platform Postmart.vn, promoting the development of agricultural digital economy in Hoa Binh province in the 2021 – 2025 period.

Accordingly, relevant agencies work together to provide information about markets, prices and effective production and business models as well as introduce domestic products to foreign markets.

To support the promotion of trade and marketing of products for members and farmers, the provincial Farmers' Union signed a coordination programme with the Farmers' Unions of other provinces and cities.

Over the past five years, Farmers Union’s chapters in Hoa Binh have helped their members and farmers in the province sell nearly 1,300 tonnes of agricultural products through participating in fairs held within the province and other localities. 

Bui Duc Bien, Vice Chairman of the provincial Farmers' Union, said over the past tenures, Farmers’ Union chapters in the province have guided thousands of farmers on how to create accounts and sell products and services on e-commerce floors. Over 2,970 agricultural products have been listed on Postmart.vn and 284 products are sold on Voso.vn. Social network platforms and e-commerce floors have gradually become an effective distribution channel in the selling of agricultural products, contributing to developing agricultural economy in line with market trends. They have also created favourable conditions for organisations and individuals to produce, process and sell agricultural products as quickly as possible, and maintain agricultural product prices at peak harvest times.

However, putting agricultural products on e-commerce platforms faces many difficulties, because this is a relatively new selling method for many farmers. In the coming time, the provincial Farmers' Union and the Farmers Support Centre will continue to strengthen coordination activities in providing training and guiding farmers on how to take part in the e-commerce platform as well as promote dissemination about the benefits when joining in e-commerce platforms.