OCOP program - driving force for new rural development

After more than 4 years of implementation, the One Commune One Product (OCOP) program in Binh Thuan has brought economic benefits and sustainable income to rural people. The program has become a strong driving force, contributing to the shift of agricultural production towards commodities, becoming an important internal resource in the movement to build new rural areas in the province.

Enhancing the value of local agricultural products

The provincial OCOP program began to be implemented in 2019, initially somewhat slower than some provinces and cities across the country. However, thanks to the methodical and synchronous implementation, by the end of the 2019-2021 period, the whole province had 70 products recognized as OCOP. In the new period, after the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 919 dated August 1, 2022 approving the One Commune One Product program for the 2021-2025 period, the Provincial People's Committee issued Plan No. 3799 dated November 9, 2022 to implement the program. The province aims to have 80-130 more OCOP products with 3 stars or more by 2025. To achieve this goal, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment) has advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue an annual OCOP Program Implementation Plan, with specific targets to develop 15-20 new OCOP products each year.

Diverse OCOP products.

As of May 2025, the province has 180 valid OCOP products, an increase of 110 products compared to the previous period. Of which, 7 products have reached 4-star standards and 173 products have reached 3-star standards, belonging to 117 entities including cooperatives, enterprises and individual business households. Notably, OCOP products have had clear changes in packaging, labels, quality and brand recognition. If previously, the output was mainly through traders and the district market, it is now widely distributed through agents, e-commerce platforms and retail chains inside and outside the province.

Display of 4-star OCOP products.

A typical example is Duc Binh Agricultural Service Cooperative (Tanh Linh) with 2 products of ST25 rice and ST25 brown rice, which have just been recognized as 4-star OCOP. Mr. Nguyen Anh Duc - Director of Duc Binh Agricultural Service Cooperative shared: "The rice is grown organically, with the original variety from engineer Ho Quang Cua - Mekong Delta Rice Institute. Tanh Linh mountainous fields create a very unique "fish rice" variety with the sweetness of the source and the fragrance of the mountains and forests. Cold rice is still sticky, soft and delicious. Participating in the OCOP program is an opportunity to enhance the Duc Lan rice brand, expand the market and increase trust with consumers nationwide. We produce according to organic processes, have a certified geographical indication "Tanh Linh Rice" and are now available on the San Viet e-commerce platform".

Duc Lan OCOP 4-star clean rice products

Digitalization in OCOP product evaluation and development

The OCOP program is increasingly widespread and is of great interest to businesses and production establishments. Therefore, the number of products and units registering to participate in the voting is increasingly diverse every year. In 2024, the Provincial OCOP Council received 10 registration dossiers. The Provincial OCOP Council held a meeting to review, evaluate and advise the Provincial People's Committee to recognize 7 4-star OCOP products. This is also the first year that members of the Provincial OCOP Product Evaluation and Classification Council have reviewed dossiers and scored products based on the interface of the OCOP Program Implementation Process Digital Software system. The outstanding feature of the software is the ability to automatically score and evaluate product classification, OCOP Council members can easily review and evaluate product profiles, because the supporting documents are clearly and specifically presented by the software according to each scoring criterion according to Decision No. 148/QD-TTg dated February 24, 2023 of the Prime Minister . Based on the scoring of each criterion, the software will give results in an objective and fair manner. This not only eliminates subjective factors but also ensures accuracy and transparency in the evaluation process, thereby enhancing the reputation of the OCOP program.

Awarding certificates to 7 4-star OCOP products.

The initial evaluation and classification of products was carried out strictly and publicly, and the evaluation results have created prestige and persuasion for producers as well as consumers. The thorough investment from management to mechanisms, policies, and trade promotion processes has helped the OCOP program in the province to go deeper and deeper.

A boost in new rural construction

The OCOP program continues to affirm itself as an important solution to implement the criteria of increasing income, creating jobs, and developing the local economy . At the same time, it creates a new face and appearance for rural areas, contributing to the successful implementation of the National Target Program on New Rural Development for the period 2021 - 2025. The program plays an important role in creating resources and is a mandatory criterion for communes that meet the standards for New Rural Development, Advanced New Rural Development, Model New Rural Development... in order to create a strong push for rural economic development.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Phuoc - Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment assessed: The OCOP program in the province has been promoting positive effects in promoting rural economic development and improving people's lives. OCOP products contribute to increasing the value of local agricultural products, especially the province's strengths such as dragon fruit, fish sauce, processed foods and bird's nest products. The program has helped form value chains linking value from production to consumption, creating close connections between cooperatives, enterprises and production households, gradually shaping the rural economy in a sustainable direction. Not only selling well domestically, many OCOP products of the province have built their own brands, creating prestige in the market and aiming for export.

In the coming time, all levels and sectors will continue to support OCOP entities in communication, product promotion, training in brand building and development skills, and at the same time create conditions for products to participate in fairs, trade promotion events, supply-demand connection conferences, etc. to expand the consumer market and spread the image of products associated with local people and culture.

“OCOP entities need to continue to promote their pioneering role, maintain product quality, focus on improving designs, and expand production scale. At the same time, proactively link and cooperate to develop together, constantly improve competitiveness, gradually upgrade products, and strive to achieve national 5-star OCOP standards,” said Mr. Phuoc.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/chuong-trinh-ocop-dong-luc-phat-trien-nong-thon-moi-130773.html