Dak Lak: Developing and improving the quality of OCOP products.

After six years of implementing the One Commune One Product (OCOP) program, Dak Lak province currently has 250 products recognized as achieving 3-4 stars under the OCOP program. Besides promoting and marketing their products, producers are also focusing on investing in upgrading OCOP products to meet the increasingly high demands of consumers.

With the goal of supporting sustainable development and enhancing the value of OCOP products , in recent times, various levels of government in Dak Lak have been implementing numerous solutions to support OCOP producers in brand development and product consumption.

Simultaneously, localities within the province are restructuring production areas, innovating organizational structures, promoting the establishment of cooperatives and cooperative groups, conducting surveys on the current state of production and consumption of OCOP products, thereby improving the quality and value of these products. Furthermore, the province is directing relevant sectors and localities to actively support and guide businesses and cooperatives in promoting trade and digital transformation.

Workers at Damaca Nguyen Phuong Joint Stock Company (Krong Nang district, Dak Lak province) are carrying out the macadamia nut production process. This is also one of the potential 5-star products of Dak Lak province.

With its agricultural potential, coffee is the main crop of Dak Lak province, covering an area of ​​over 210,000 hectares and producing over 550,000 tons annually. To date, coffee is the product most frequently selected to participate in the OCOP program, with 62 products from 46 entities achieving OCOP 3- to 4-star provincial certification. Notable examples include: Robusta ground coffee from Ede Coffee Co., Ltd., Ea Tu pure roasted coffee beans from Cong Bang Ea Tu Agricultural Service Cooperative, Kien Cuong civet coffee from Kien Cuong Co., Ltd., wet-processed Robusta coffee from Cong Bang Ea Kiet Agricultural Cooperative, Trung Hoa roasted coffee beans from Trung Hoa Ground Coffee Production Joint Stock Company, etc. OCOP certification serves as a stepping stone for entities to pay more attention to the entire process from planting, caring for, harvesting, and processing local agricultural products. Continuously upgrading and developing products, promoting trade, and advertising products in domestic and international markets. A prime example is the Ea Wy Agricultural Cooperative (Ea H'leo district), which leverages the strengths of local agricultural products. The cooperative has integrated the entire process from planting to processing and selling coffee and pepper, covering over 200 hectares of land. Farmers participating in this integrated chain receive support in terms of supplies, fertilizers, and water-saving irrigation systems. All members of the cooperative cultivate according to VietGAP standards. To enhance the value and selling price of agricultural products, the cooperative organizes deep processing to provide the market with standardized coffee and pepper products. Improving product quality, along with refining packaging and investing in production equipment, has resulted in the cooperative's powdered coffee and pepper achieving OCOP 3-star certification. This will create favorable conditions for the cooperative to develop and market its products more effectively.

Dak Lak's OCOP products are gradually establishing their brand in the market.

Upon achieving OCOP certification, products need further improvements in labeling, attention to quality, food safety, barcode control, and traceability. This creates a legal framework for businesses participating in value chains and supermarkets, building customer trust, expanding markets, increasing revenue, and ensuring sustainable development. For example, the Lam Ngoc Hoi food production facility (Ea Bar commune, Buon Don district) successfully developed four products that achieved 3-star OCOP certification: snails stuffed in bamboo tubes, snails wrapped in spring rolls, snails wrapped in betel leaves, and snails with lemongrass. The facility focuses on improving quality, investing in design and packaging to maintain its reputation and expand its market. Besides actively participating in trade fairs to promote and introduce products, the company also boosts its trading activities on social media platforms such as Zalo, Facebook, and TikTok. "By participating in the OCOP program, we hope to affirm the quality and brand of our products, as well as expand the market for them. OCOP is a program for distinctive products from each locality. Products made from local ingredients and produced by local people are an advantage for companies participating in the OCOP program. We also receive advice and support in changing packaging to suit local needs and are given opportunities to participate in trade fairs to expand our market," shared Mr. Nguyen Van Lam, owner of Lam Ngoc Hoi food production facility.

OCOP product: Stuffed snails from Lam Ngoc Hoi Food Production Facility (Ea Bar commune, Buon Don district, Dak Lak).

According to the assessment of the National Target Program Coordination Office for New Rural Development in Dak Lak province, the province's OCOP products have developed very diversely. Businesses have focused on investing in production and processing, improving quality and design to access domestic and international markets. In addition, local authorities have also paid attention to supporting businesses in testing, packaging, and labeling, especially by promoting trade and product advertising activities, contributing to the sustainable production and consumption of characteristic rural agricultural products. The program has leveraged internal resources, increased value, raised awareness, and transformed the mindset of businesses, officials, state management agencies, and consumers regarding the quality and branding of OCOP products. At the same time, it helps to raise awareness of the OCOP Program's objective: to develop the rural economy , focusing on developing agricultural, non-agricultural, and service products with advantages in each locality to create high added value and increase people's income. This contributes to further restructuring the agricultural sector in conjunction with the development of small-scale industries, trades, services, and rural tourism; promoting sustainable rural economic development; and contributing to building new rural areas in a more in-depth, effective, and sustainable manner.

Thanh Dong Green Food Joint Stock Company has invested in machinery to create a closed production line, improving the quality of OCOP products from mushroom cultivation.

The province currently has 250 OCOP products (3 potential 5-star products, 42 4-star products, and 205 3-star products). All 4-star products have the potential to be improved and standardized to upgrade their quality to 5-star (national level) standards and participate in the international market. Many OCOP products from Dak Lak have affirmed their value and brand in domestic and international markets, such as: 3-in-1 cocoa powder from Nam Truong Son Cocoa Co., Ltd., Robusta coffee powder from Ede Coffee Co., Ltd., premium Dak Lak macadamia nuts from Damaca Nguyen Phuong Joint Stock Company, pure roasted Ea Tu coffee beans from Cong Bang Ea Tu Agricultural Service Cooperative, Y Mien rice wine from Y Mien household business, freeze-dried durian from No. 1 Drying and Processing Joint Stock Company, organic black brown rice from N&H Agricultural Products Processing Joint Stock Company… Source: https://danviet.vn/dak-lak-phat-trien-va-nang-cao-chat-luong-san-pham-ocop-20241206112003986.htm