The "One Commune, One Product" (OCOP) program has become a powerful and widespread movement for production development in the province's agricultural and rural areas. It helps localities, businesses, cooperatives, and production facilities proactively exploit their potential and advantages, and invest in improving and upgrading traditional village products into high - value goods. However, OCOP product certificates are not valid indefinitely, only for 36 months, and renewal is required upon expiration. Currently, the process of renewing OCOP certificates after expiration faces many difficulties and obstacles that need to be addressed.
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To date, Phu Tho province has 237 OCOP products that have achieved 3-star rating or higher. After certification, these OCOP products meet quality and food safety standards, suit consumer needs and tastes, build consumer trust, qualify for supermarkets and modern distribution systems, and have the opportunity to reach larger markets; contributing to the restructuring of the rural economy and effectively implementing the Plan for Restructuring the Agricultural Sector and the National Target Program for Building New Rural Areas.
However, according to regulations, the OCOP product certification is only valid for 36 months from the date of the recognition decision. To continue using the OCOP product certification mark (OCOP logo with stars) printed and affixed to the packaging and labels of products when circulating and being consumed in the market, these products need to be re-evaluated and re-certified by the competent authority. By the end of 2023, 19 OCOP products with 3 stars or higher from 15 entities had expired their 36-month certification, but only 8 products were re-certified, while the remaining 11 products were not re-evaluated. The reasons for this are that some entities are in the process of changing their logo and brand identity, improving packaging and labels to suit their business strategy in the new phase; some entities are no longer producing or selling those products and have switched to selling other products.
Furthermore, some businesses are hesitant to go through the necessary procedures and paperwork because it requires considerable effort, time, and expense, making them reluctant to propose a reassessment and reclassification of their products. In reality, most of the expired OCOP products were recognized in 2020 under the old criteria, but the government has now issued a new set of criteria with stricter requirements and standards. In particular, the 4-star OCOP product category has additional stringent criteria regarding the environment, intellectual property, and quality certification – criteria that are difficult and require significant time to fulfill. Meanwhile, most OCOP producers in the province are small and medium-sized enterprises with limited economic resources, making it difficult for them to invest in and improve their processes to meet these requirements.
According to the implementation plan of the "One Commune, One Product" program in Phu Tho province, the goal is to develop, standardize, and upgrade an additional 79 products and product groups to achieve 3-star rating or higher by the end of 2024. By the end of 2024, the province will have a cumulative total of 305 products and product groups meeting OCOP standards at or above the 3-star rating. Along with developing new products, the re-evaluation and re-certification of expired OCOP products is also an important task to ensure both an increase in quantity and an improvement in quality of OCOP products.
To effectively achieve the goal, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has directed its specialized departments to continue guiding and supporting businesses in perfecting product development; prioritizing support for businesses that have been recognized as OCOP 3-star or higher but have small-scale production and struggle to meet market demands, helping them maintain, improve, and enhance production capacity, ensuring quantity and quality, and gradually meeting market needs. The department is also reviewing raw material area planning, selecting traditional, distinctive, and local products... to develop OCOP products.
The agricultural sector focuses on coordinating with other sectors and localities to promote information dissemination and awareness campaigns so that OCOP entities better understand the content, purpose, and significance of OCOP products and take responsibility for maintaining and developing them; encouraging and supporting entities with the necessary procedures to participate in the evaluation and re-certification of OCOP products when due.
In addition, local authorities and relevant agencies should proactively strengthen support and guidance for business owners and enterprises to enhance their self-awareness and responsibility in complying with regulations to ensure the quality of OCOP products. Businesses themselves also need to be more proactive in re-registering for expired OCOP certifications; and focus on improving the quality and reputation of their products to gain market share.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen
Source: https://baophutho.vn/go-kho-trong-danh-gia-cong-nhan-lai-san-pham-ocop-220155.htm
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