Nghia Lo specialties included in OCOP program.

Through the implementation of the "One Commune, One Product" Program (OCOP Program), Nghia Lo town has upgraded a series of local specialty and characteristic products to be recognized as OCOP products. This is considered a leverage to enhance product value, income, and sustainable development for farmers; preventing the mixing of genuine and counterfeit goods, which affects product reputation.

Dried buffalo meat and dried pork are two of the four products from Yen Phuong business establishment in Nghia Lo town that have been recognized as 3-star OCOP products.

Nghia Lo is becoming increasingly well-known nationwide for its community-based tourism products of the Thai people in Muong Lo, attracting over 300,000 visitors annually.

Thanks to the development of tourism, local specialties and unique products are more easily and widely consumed. Upgrading these products from traditional, rudimentary handcrafted items to those with logos, labels, and guaranteed food safety and traceability standards, as implemented through the OCOP program, is a completely correct and appropriate approach, especially given the current market where genuine and counterfeit products are mixed together.

Specializing in the production of smoked and dried products, Ms. Truong Thi Hai Yen's production facility in Tan An ward has 4 products that have achieved OCOP 3-star certification: dried pork, dried buffalo meat, smoked pork belly, and sausage.

Ms. Yen shared: "In 2020, starting from a small-scale manual production, processing, and manufacturing facility, I expanded my workshop to 250 square meters; investing 1.3 billion VND in machinery and processing equipment such as: a cold storage system, storage cabinets, drying ovens, electric steamers, ovens, spice grinders, meat tenderizers, and product packaging machines. By the end of that year, all four of our products were recognized as achieving the OCOP 3-star standard of the province. OCOP has helped our products reach over 70 sales points and distributors inside and outside the province, generating annual revenue of over 4 billion VND. Therefore, in 2023, when the product's certification expired, I promptly completed the procedures to ensure it would be re-certified.”

To achieve the 3-star OCOP rating, Ms. Yen pays special attention to ensuring food hygiene and safety – considering this the top priority in the production and business of processed products.

She contracts with slaughterhouses, selecting fresh, clean buffalo and pork meat, as well as other ingredients certified to meet hygiene and safety standards; absolutely no preservatives or unsafe additives are used. At the same time, she hires designers to create packaging, logos, labels, and containers to suit the diverse needs of her customers.

Nghia Lo – an ancient land of the Black Thai people with traditional production methods and a unique culture and cuisine – has produced countless distinctive and famous specialty products. For many years, the town has directed specialized agencies and the People's Committees of communes and wards to guide and encourage businesses with distinctive products to register for the OCOP Program, complete evaluation and classification dossiers, and submit them to councils at all levels for appraisal and approval.

The town also focuses on guiding businesses in developing business plans and production models, and supporting them in participating in trade promotion, advertising, e-commerce platforms, and displaying products at fairs, cultural and tourism festivals, and local events… contributing to the consumption and building of unique brands for each product.

Mr. La Nhu Huy, owner of Huy Phuong business with the OCOP 3-star Ban Trang shrimp paste product in Cau Thia ward, shared: "Amidst the countless ready-made shrimp paste products on the market, to be competitive, we need certifications that reassure consumers. OCOP is the best certification, suitable for rural products. Since our product was recognized as an OCOP 3-star product, it has affirmed its reputation and quality, and with support from the province and town in promotion and introduction, sales have improved significantly."

To date, Nghia Lo town has 21 products recognized under the OCOP program; of which, 18 are local specialties. These products have been and continue to be loved by consumers, especially tourists, who choose them as gifts after each trip to this region.

Most of the specialty products in Nghia Lo have been certified under the OCOP program, ranging from fragrant Seng Cu rice and tropical fruits to dried buffalo meat, dried pork, sausages, smoked meat, shrimp paste, sticky rice fritters, and black glutinous rice cakes…

Source: http://baoyenbai.com.vn/12/346159/Dac-san-Nghia-Lo-vao-OCOP.aspx