BPO - The One Commune One Product (OCOP) program is a rural economic development program aimed at leveraging local resources and increasing added value, implemented nationwide in Vietnam since 2018 by a decision of the Prime Minister. This is a solution and task within the national target program for building new rural areas, focusing on developing agricultural, non-agricultural, and service products with advantages in each locality along the value chain. 
OCOP products contribute to increasing income, forming cooperatives and production groups, and building increasingly innovative rural areas. In the photo: Workers of Ha My Joint Stock Company, Tan Lap commune, Dong Phu district, sorting cashew nuts. Leveraging local strengths: With advantages in climate, soil, and potential for raw material sources, in October 2020, Loc Quang Organic Pepper Cooperative in Loc Ninh district was established with 9 members, and has now grown to 16 members, cultivating 32 hectares of pepper. The cooperative's establishment not only fulfills criterion number 13 – the form of production organization in building new rural areas in Loc Quang commune – but also lays the foundation for the formation of 10 OCOP 3-4 star products. Since then, Loc Quang organic pepper products have been present in almost all domestic markets, meeting consumer needs and preferences, and contributing to protecting consumer health.
The Loc Quang Organic Pepper Cooperative has 10 products certified with 3-4 stars under the OCOP program. Pham Thanh Chung, Director of the Loc Quang Organic Pepper Cooperative, shared: "The process of building OCOP products faced many difficulties. Besides obtaining OCOP certification, there was also significant investment in human resources, materials, and finances to build the brand, promote, access the market, and facilitate trade, which was quite costly. It took a long time and perseverance for the cooperative to find some domestic and international customers who trusted us and imported our products into nationwide supermarket systems. Furthermore, OCOP products are the result of meticulous and rigorous production, organic farming practices, and collaboration with other cooperatives in the province. The creation of organic biological products with the unique brand of the Loc Quang Organic Pepper Cooperative has led to a diversification of product types."
To ensure high-quality pepper products, the production process of Loc Quang Organic Pepper Cooperative is strictly based on organic standards. The quality of Loc Quang organic pepper has been established; however, the domestic market share is limited, so the cooperative is accelerating digital transformation and applying planting area codes to expand its market internationally. Mr. Chung stated that the cooperative plans to seek advice and support from the Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development in 2025 to register planting area codes for pepper products, especially targeting the Chinese and Muslim-majority markets. Because the domestic pepper market share is too low, and there are many producers, developing the domestic market is crucial, but currently, sales are low. Therefore, achieving international standards will increase product quantity and sales. "To expand into international markets, we are moving towards obtaining international certifications and standards for export. For example, the Dutch market is very promising, and the spice industry is well-suited to pepper production and processing. Therefore, this is an opportunity for us to access mechanisms and policies, and invest in building more infrastructure and purchasing equipment to complete the necessary documents and procedures," Mr. Chung said.
| For success, human resources and finances play a decisive role. During operations, it's essential to develop specific production and business plans, build a systematic development strategy, and attract resources and investors. Therefore, it's crucial to unite and leverage existing strengths such as human resources, material resources, raw materials, markets, technology, and digital transformation. If this is achieved, success is inevitable. |
| Director of Loc Quang Organic Pepper Cooperative , Pham Thanh Chung |
Taking advantage of the abundant raw material resources and high-quality rice products of the locality, in 2022, Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen Hoang Luong in Loc Quang commune, Loc Ninh district, established a liquor production facility named "Tuu Bat Bai" (Unbeatable Liquor). Besides wanting to produce truly high-quality products for the market, this is also a foundation for creating a unique branded product characteristic of
Binh Phuoc province .
The production process of the "unbeatable liquor" facility is carried out using modern technology. Currently, Mr. Luong's facility produces 120 liters of liquor daily from glutinous rice and regular rice. Besides white liquor, the facility also processes and infuses the rice in earthenware jars and glass bottles, creating 16 different products to meet consumer needs and preferences. To ensure high-quality products and consumer health, the production process is meticulously and systematically implemented. This includes raw processing by cooking the rice, fermentation, distillation using the latest technology with a 3-stage tower, and aldehyde testing using a liquor aging machine. During production, the facility conducts annual testing through the Quatest 3 Center, meeting all criteria according to the standards of
the Ministry of Health .
The facility ferments the rice wine in earthenware jars for 6-7 months before selling it on the market. In addition, the facility also processes the rice into other varieties such as cloudy rice wine, purple rice wine, or herbal-infused wine. With genuine quality products and unique local characteristics, even though they are not yet widely known to customers, demand still exceeds supply. To boost future development, Mr. Luong stated that the rice wine product has completed the procedures and is awaiting OCOP 4-star certification. Once certified, the facility will expand production, promotion, and trade to the national market.
Promoting the role of the collective economy: In 2024, Loc Thai commune, Loc Ninh district, is one of two communes in the province striving to achieve the model new rural area status. Therefore, along with other indicators and criteria, the locality is paying close attention to and focusing on developing OCOP products. Currently, Loc Thai has a 3-star OCOP product: Ngoc Dung bird's nest. This not only serves as a prerequisite for fulfilling the criteria for production organization in building new rural areas, but also creates conditions for producers to promote their products, contributing to increasing people's income.
To date, Binh Phuoc has 136 OCOP products ranging from 3 to 5 stars. Of these, Loc Ninh district has 32 products recognized by the Provincial People's Committee and the District People's Committee as 3-4 star OCOP products, thereby creating stable jobs and increasing income for rural workers. |
OCOP products are largely formed and created from collective economic activities, including cooperatives. To leverage the strengths of local agriculture, cooperatives have innovated their operating methods, promoted the OCOP program, and increased income for their members. Thanks to their active participation in the OCOP program, cooperatives have created high-quality products, formed value chains, and increased competitiveness in the market. According to the assessment of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Loc Ninh district, the establishment of cooperatives brings practical benefits and increases the value chain. However, many cooperatives operate on a small scale, with limited infrastructure and access to capital, resulting in low efficiency and insufficient economic benefits for members. In some places, member participation is merely symbolic, incomplete, and not fully realized. The operational capacity of cooperatives is uneven, competitiveness is low, and operations are sporadic or ceased altogether. Some cooperatives have been established but have not yet raised capital from members, nor have they set up reserve funds or development investment funds as required by the Cooperative Law… Source: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/81/165523/dong-luc-moi-tu-ocop
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