Quang Tri promotes digitalization in agriculture

The Agricultural and Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Xy, located in Ra Po village, Xy commune, Huong Hoa district, recently won third place in the 2024 Quang Tri Province “Startup Innovation” competition. The cooperative’s project, titled “Application of Digital Technology Solutions to Ensure Quality and Transparency in the Production and Business Model of Special Douc Monkeys,” garnered attention as it represents the first-ever douc monkey farming model in Quang Tri to incorporate digital technology. This achievement is even more meaningful given that the cooperative operates in a particularly challenging border region.

The Sustainable Agriculture and Tourism Cooperative Xy was established by a group of investors from Hanoi. The management team includes Mr. Nguyen Duc Thanh (Chairman of the Board), Mr. Le Nam Khanh (Director), and Mr. Bui Xuan Thuy (Deputy Director). Mr. Thuy moved from Hanoi to Xy commune to directly manage and oversee the cooperative’s activities.

The office of the cooperative is located in Ra Po hamlet, Xy commune, Huong Hoa district. Source: M.L

Sharing the story of how they came to invest in this agricultural model in such a remote area, Mr. Thuy explained: After COVID-19, some people from Hanoi came to Quang Tri to do charity work. When they visited Xy commune, they noticed the difficult living conditions of the local people, with most families lacking sustainable livelihoods and having very low incomes. The group discussed the idea of building a model economic system for the locals to learn from and adopt in order to change their lives.

The idea was fully supported by local authorities. In July 2022, the cooperative was established, and the commune allowed them to use the community house in the village as their working base. The cooperative rented land from the locals to grow some medicinal plants, raise douc monkeys, and build housing systems in preparation for raising 1,000 Egyptian super-egg chickens following a medicinal egg chicken model (they are waiting for warmer weather, and will release the chicks after the Lunar New Year).

Upon practical experience in the local area, the cooperative realized that douc monkeys were very suitable for the climate there, so they invested in breeding facilities and completed the necessary procedures to obtain permits to open a breeding model. Starting with 30 pairs of breeding douc monkeys, the cooperative now has 70 pairs. "Douc monkeys are rodents, a type of wild animal that grows quickly, reproduces well, is resilient to diseases, and is clean and easy to care for. Their food is easy to find (bamboo stalks, elephant grass, and a bit of corn powder), and the investment cost is reasonable. However, people in Xy commune and surrounding areas have never raised this animal," Mr. Thuy shared.

Currently, the cooperative is building up the douc monkey herd, expanding the housing facilities, continuing to breed, and plans to provide breeding stock and technical guidance for locals to raise them under a contract farming model. Later, the cooperative will buy back products from the locals and gradually deduct the initial investment costs.

Regarding the market, douc monkeys are sold both as breeding stock and as meat (a wild specialty). At present, breeding douc monkeys are sold for 200-300 USD per pair. In 2024, the cooperative sold its first batch of breeding douc monkeys (15 pairs) for a sustainable livelihood project for women in Xy commune. The initial idea behind establishing the cooperative was to explore and harness the potential advantages and resources available in the area. The cooperative’s members studied the local climate, soil conditions, farming practices, native plant species, existing production models, infrastructure, and the agricultural product consumption methods in the area.

They found that the local people mostly grew cassava and bananas using outdated farming methods. They lacked control over both the products and the markets, which often led to exploitation by middlemen, resulting in low economic efficiency and unstable income. Additionally, the local population had very limited knowledge about investing in production models that applied scientific techniques.

"The cooperative will build economic models that suit the local soil and climate conditions and gradually guide the people to change their farming practices. Once we have successfully implemented and stabilized the operations of the cooperative, we will gradually recruit local members and transfer the management to them, enabling them to apply scientific and technological methods to production. Investors will slowly reduce their role but will continue to support the cooperative as strategic partners," said Mr. Le Nam Khanh. According to Mr. Khanh, the market for douc monkeys as a specialty product is large, with significant potential for development. However, most market players lack transparent origin and legal documentation. This is why the cooperative has researched and implemented a project titled “Applying Digital Technology Solutions to Ensure Quality and Transparency in the Production and Business Model of Douc Monkeys by Recording Logs and Tracing Origins,” which was one of the outcomes after more than a year of implementation. The project recently won third place in the 2024 Quang Tri Province “Startup Innovation” competition (there was no first place for this category in 2024).

Currently, the cooperative is collaborating and developing technological solutions to perfect a model for managing the douc monkey herd using electronic log software to support traceability. Each douc monkey has a traceable record. "Douc monkeys are wild animals, and applying an electronic log and traceability system helps regulatory agencies verify that the douc monkeys sold on the market are from the cooperative. The douc monkeys provided by the cooperative will ensure transparency about their origin and quality for consumers by scanning a QR code to track the farming and growth process on the software system," Mr. Khanh explained. At present, there are many individuals and organizations raising douc monkeys, but most of them are doing it on a small scale, without branding, technological management, or control over the breeding process, which results in poor quality and lack of transparency in the origin and market positioning.

The Sustainable Agriculture and Tourism Cooperative Xy will be the first to apply modern management solutions to ensure the quality and transparency of trade with douc monkeys.

The cooperative’s douc monkeys are sold in two product categories: breeding stock and meat. The market for douc monkey meat is still large, particularly valuable for the restaurant segment. Therefore, the breeding stock market will continue to develop to serve the meat market. This specialty market in tourist areas and large urban centers still has great potential and can be scaled up.

In 2025, the cooperative plans to further develop the system and upgrade its features to allow the Forestry Department (the agency in charge of animal origin control) to monitor the growth of the douc monkey herd in terms of quantity, making it easier to issue permits and verify the herd. At the same time, features will be added for local agricultural officers to track the production and number of the cooperative’s douc monkeys.

Mr. Khanh also hopes that the cooperative will complete the registration process for scientific and technological certification, without using state funds, with the Department of Science and Technology and other regulatory agencies, which will form the legal foundation for technology transfer and future cooperation with other cooperatives and households to expand the douc monkey farming model in Xy commune.

“With this direction, we aim to position the cooperative as the largest supplier of douc monkey meat and breeding stock in Quang Tri Province within the next three years,” Mr. Khanh shared.

After applying digital technology solutions to ensure quality and transparency in the production and business of douc monkeys, the cooperative plans to expand its product range to include other agricultural products such as herbal eggs, herbal chicken meat, and herbal tea based on local medicinal herbs.

Additionally, to diversify income from existing specialty products, the cooperative will invest in developing a community tourism model in Xy commune and surrounding areas to help increase the income for local residents.

Mai Lam - Ngoc Mai