After nearly six years of implementing the "One Commune, One Product" (OCOP) program, the province has 138 products certified under the OCOP program. However, only two products are currently being considered for a 5-star rating by the National OCOP Product Evaluation and Classification Council. Upgrading OCOP products still faces many challenges.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang (in red shirt), Director of Khe Sanh Agricultural Products Cooperative, introduces Khe Sanh coffee products that are participating in the national 5-star OCOP product evaluation - Photo: BAO BINH
In 2023, the Provincial People's Committee recognized five products with 4-star OCOP product certifications, including: Quang Tri organic rice from Quang Tri Organic Agricultural Products Joint Stock Company, Curminreal turmeric starch from Hung Dung International Co., Ltd., grapefruit essential oil hair spray from Nhien Thao Quang Tri Co., Ltd., Moc May herbal shampoo from Truong Son Medicinal Herbs Cooperative, and Mai Thi Thuy bitter tea extract from Dinh Son Mai Thi Thuy Medicinal Herbs Co., Ltd.
Among the 138 OCOP products in the province, there are 43 4-star products and 95 3-star products. Two products have been recommended to the National Product Evaluation and Classification Council for 5-star evaluation and recognition: Khe Sanh coffee from Khe Sanh Agricultural Products Cooperative and the Gynostemma pentaphyllum health supplement from An Xuan Organic Medicinal Herbs Co., Ltd.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang, Director of Khe Sanh Agricultural Products Cooperative, the cooperative has so far signed long-term, stable contracts with businesses that consume its products, such as the Quang Tri Provincial Post Office , Global Green Technology Development Joint Stock Company (Hanoi), Cat Que Production and Trading Company (Hanoi), Ta Thi Phuong's business household (Dong Ha), SLOW Company Laos, and various domestic retail and distribution systems.
The product has been distributed through the e-commerce platform Postmart.vn and a network of sales points at post office stores in 9 districts, towns, and cities, participating in trade fairs and exhibitions inside and outside the province, meeting the needs of both the domestic and export markets. “Currently, we are preparing a quantity of goods to supply the US market. In addition, several partners are interested in exporting the cooperative's coffee products to markets such as France... We hope that the product will meet all the conditions and regulations, be upgraded to a 5-star national OCOP rating, and be able to expand its export market to other countries.”
It is evident that, alongside the achievements, the implementation of the OCOP program in the province still faces numerous difficulties and limitations. These include a small number of new participants, many products with potential and strengths that have not been exploited or registered for participation, and a significant number of entities and products whose OCOP certification has expired have not participated in the reassessment and reclassification process.
OCOP products still face difficulties in finding and expanding markets, especially export markets. Few OCOP products participate in modern retail chains and supermarkets, and there are no products exported to major markets such as Europe, the US, Japan, or South Korea. Furthermore, progress towards achieving some targets set for 2025 is slow, such as the target number of OCOP products, which has only reached 48% of the plan.
Currently, the province lacks 5-star OCOP products (target: 1-3 products), community-based tourism products, ecotourism products, and tourist destinations (target: 1-2 products). The province currently has 21 cooperatives, accounting for 27.6% of OCOP entities (the target is 40%). Local authorities have not yet focused on supporting the development of raw material areas and traceability to ensure the quantity and quality meet market demands.
According to regulations, to upgrade a product from 3 stars to 4 stars, the entity must meet standards such as trade promotion associated with geographical indications, supply chain linkages, market access, product idea origin, etc.
These requirements are not easy for businesses to meet, because most of the province's OCOP products are similar, produced on a small scale, and mainly sold freely in the market. For OCOP products aiming to upgrade from 4-star to 5-star quality, it is even more difficult, as the product must not only meet the 4-star standards but also have a consistent export market.
In reality, most of the producers of OCOP products in the province are small-scale, so investing in and upgrading production lines and machinery to expand production according to commodity standards requires a relatively large amount of funding. Currently, most cooperatives provide input services for members and organize seasonal production; not many cooperatives organize specialized production and processing activities for specific products.
Therefore, no products meet the eligibility criteria for the OCOP program. Local authorities have not focused enough on supporting the development of raw material areas and traceability to ensure the quantity and quality meet market demands.
The province's policy is to focus on effectively exploiting the potential and strengths of localities, promoting development, and enhancing the value of key and distinctive products associated with raw material areas. Products granted OCOP certification must demonstrate quality, brand recognition, and market appeal.
Therefore, to support the development and upgrading of OCOP products, relevant sectors and localities need to strengthen propaganda and guidance efforts to help businesses, cooperatives, and people improve the quality of their already classified products.
Provide guidance and support to product producers in accessing state and provincial support policies to promote production development along the value chain, improve product quality, and expand production scale according to standards and regulations to meet market demands. Focus on improving product quality, design, and packaging, upgrading products from 3 stars to 4 stars, and from 4 stars to 5 stars.
Focus on developing OCOP products along the value chain for industries where the province has strengths and room for growth, while also developing 5-star OCOP product projects. Emphasize the development of products with significant potential but untapped strengths, such as medicinal herbs, aquatic products, livestock, community tourism services, ecotourism, and tourist destinations.
Prioritize resources from central and local government policies to support OCOP entities in developing and expanding standardized raw material areas. Improve processing technology, promote trade, and develop brands for key local OCOP products.
Thanh Truc
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