Following this orientation, localities in the province have proactively planned concentrated production zones, selecting advantageous crops and livestock to form suitable linkage chains. A typical example is the Mường Ảng coffee production zone. With the participation of processing and export enterprises, hundreds of households in the area have received support with seeds, fertilizers, and technical guidance on cultivation according to VietGAP and organic standards. After harvesting, the coffee is purchased and processed to ensure consistent quality, meeting market requirements. As a result, the “Mường Ảng Coffee” brand has increasingly affirmed its position, not only domestically but also being exported to international markets.

The Hải An Mường Ảng Coffee Co., Ltd. is currently linking the production of 10 hectares of coffee with local people, achieving an average yield of about 3 tons/ha and processing about 20 tons of coffee powder annually. The company’s products have had their quality declared, meet food safety regulations, are registered with codes and barcodes, and have standard-compliant packaging and labels. The entire process of planting, caring, harvesting, preliminary processing, and final processing is carried out according to clean coffee standards, in which the company has successfully applied natural biological fermentation technology, helping to enhance the flavor and value of the product. Two key products, Adew instant coffee and Hải An Arabica filter coffee, have both achieved 3-star OCOP certification.

Similarly, the linked rice production zone in the Điện Biên basin is also proving effective. With the advantage of favorable soil conditions and abundant water resources, cooperatives and businesses have joined farmers in organizing the production of high-quality rice, focusing on specialty varieties such as Séng cù, Bắc thơm số 7, and IR64. Some enterprises, like the Điện Biên Agricultural Seed Joint Stock Company and the Thanh Yên General Service Cooperative, have participated in guaranteeing product consumption and guiding cultivation techniques according to VietGAP procedures, from planting and care to harvesting and storage. Thanks to this, the value of Điện Biên rice grains has been increasingly enhanced, expanding the domestic market and gradually moving towards export.

Currently, the Thanh Yên General Service Cooperative is implementing a linkage model with 70 hectares of high-quality rice. When building the safe rice supply chain, the cooperative initially had 54 rice-growing households participating in the production and consumption linkage process, covering a total area of 41 hectares; to date, 70 households have joined the linkage. The unit focuses on investing in processing and packaging lines suitable for the scale, ensuring quality. The products are consumed in markets such as Hanoi, Hồ Chí Minh City, Quảng Ninh, and Thái Nguyên, with an annual consumption volume of about 300 tons. The cooperative has two products: Tâm Sáng Điện Biên Tám Rice and Tâm Sáng Điện Biên Séng Cù Rice, which have been re-certified as 3-star OCOP products.

To date, several concentrated linked production zones have formed in the province, such as the Mường Ảng coffee linkage zone, the tea linkage zones in Mường Ảng and Tủa Chùa, and the pineapple linkage zones in Na Sang and Pu Lau. The entire province has 24 safe food supply chains operating under a production linkage model.

The linkage model has significantly reduced the “good harvest, low price” situation while increasing income for the people. Products produced through linkage chains often have selling prices 10-20% higher than conventional products and are trusted by consumers due to guaranteed traceability and process transparency. Periodically, functional agencies conduct rapid tests and send samples for quality testing to promptly detect samples violating food safety quality standards. The results show that 100% of product samples taken from safe food supply chains meet the regulations.

Production using the chain linkage model has brought practical benefits: consumers know reliable sources and can use safe products, ensuring their health; producers and businesses can enhance the value of their products, become known to consumers, and achieve higher product consumption levels; and the management of quality and food safety becomes more convenient for inspection, supervision, and product traceability.

Building production zones towards linkage helps people increase their income and stabilize their livelihoods, contributing to changing production mindsets and affirming the position of Điện Biên agricultural products in the market. When the “three houses”, farmers, cooperatives, and businesses, share common goals and share benefits and responsibilities, local agriculture will develop in a more modern and sustainable direction. The zones for coffee, tea, rice, safe vegetables, etc., formed from the linkage mindset, have been affirming their practical value, creating a foundation for Điện Biên to transform from small-scale production to large-scale commodity production with strong brands and high competitiveness in the market.