Opportunity to upgrade OCOP products

After the administrative boundary consolidation, An Giang province has opened up a large development space for the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program. This is a golden opportunity to enhance local specialty products, from raw material areas to product commercialization, linked to tourism and green economy.

Expanding raw material areas

Mr. Le Huu Toan - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment said that after more than 5 years of implementation, the whole province has 582 OCOP products recognized in 102 commune-level administrative units, an average of 5.7 products/unit. In 2023 and 2024 alone, each year there will be more than 150 new products meeting the standards. OCOP products mainly focus on the food group (506 products), followed by handicrafts, beverages, medicinal herbs, ornamental plants and tourism services. Many products have affirmed their brands such as: Specialty fragrant rice, Phu Quoc fish sauce, palm molasses, canned baby corn... In 2025, the province has 14 products achieving 5 stars and 1 potential product achieving 5 stars. This is a testament to the efforts to improve quality, traceability, packaging and international standards.

Ms. Le Thi Be and her daughter check the fish sauce product.

To develop OCOP effectively, An Giang identifies raw material areas as the key foundation. Many production - consumption linkage models have been formed: Vinh Hoa durian, Cu Lao Gieng mango, Antesco baby corn, with a growing area of over 7,000 hectares... helping farmers stabilize output and improve product quality standards. The expanded area creates conditions for the formation of large-scale production areas, connecting production - processing - trade. This is a stepping stone for OCOP products to have local characteristics, but still be competitive in the market.

Sitting next to a jar of fish sauce with a strong aroma, Ms. Le Thi Be (72 years old), residing in Nga Cay hamlet, An Bien commune, the owner of the 3-star OCOP product "Mixed freshwater fish sauce" said: "With the province's re-import, I no longer worry about the lack of raw materials to make fish sauce like before." Each year, Ms. Be produces 200 - 300 kg of fish sauce, earning a profit of about 150 million VND. Previously, the scarcity of natural fish resources made her family's fish sauce making business difficult. Now that there is more land to exploit freshwater fish, she plans to expand production.

Increased support

Ms. Do Thi Bich Tran - owner of the Nang Kien Giang specialty store said: “Tourists really like An Giang rice flakes, pineapple candy, dried palm sugar, Phu Quoc fish sauce... because of their unique flavors and increasingly good quality. Many OCOP products have become “national specialties”, trusted by many tourists. However, some products have not been invested in design by OCOP owners. Some items I have to repackage in beautiful jars to sell. Sometimes the supply of goods is cut off, making it difficult to retain regular customers.”

Despite many positive results, the commercialization of OCOP products still faces difficulties. Some OCOP entities produce on a small scale, have unsystematic investment, unprofessional packaging, and weak market linkages; products cannot be maintained after recognition. Through research from OCOP entities, most of them face difficulties in capital investment for packaging, design, improving production processes, and building raw material areas. To contribute to removing these bottlenecks, according to Mr. Le Huu Toan, in the coming time, the province will step up support for OCOP entities to access credit capital, technology, and management capacity.

Tourists visit and shop for OCOP products at the Nang Kien Giang specialty store

The Department of Rural Development and Quality Management is assigned to organize training, support documents, labels, packaging and funding for building standard products. The province also aims to build OCOP product introduction points associated with eco-tourism in potential localities, using resources from the National Target Program on New Rural Development. "In 2025, An Giang will strongly develop OCOP service products, especially community tourism and eco-tourism, striving for each commune to have at least one OCOP product introduction point," said Mr. Le Huu Toan.

With an expanded scale, clear orientation and determination from provincial leaders to production entities, the OCOP program in An Giang is gradually becoming a driving force for rural economic development, a source of pride in the new period after the merger.

Article and photos: DANG LINH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/co-hoi-nang-tam-cho-san-pham-ocop-a424870.html