Lac Thuy District - so that OCOP products are not just titles

In a land known as the cradle of free-range chickens, sweet custard apples, clean tea, etc., the "One Commune One Product" (OCOP) program was expected to open the door for farmers to enter the market economy. But when looking deeper into each commune, each cooperative, each product, the OCOP picture in Lac Thuy district appears gray: There are communes that do not have a single OCOP product; or have one but the recognition period has expired.

Workers of Kim Boi Joint Stock Company (Lac Thuy) pack bamboo shoots. The company currently owns products certified with 5-star OCOP at the national level.

According to statistics from the People's Committee of Lac Thuy district, the entire district is managing and developing 23 OCOP products, including 2 5-star products, 4 4-star products and 17 3-star products. Typical products include: Lac Thuy chicken, Song Boi tea, Dong Tam custard apple, Hung Thi honey, etc.

Some cooperatives have learned how to build value chains, from production, processing, traceability, packaging, and branding. That is a prerequisite for OCOP products to survive in the market, not just for display at fairs.

However, in contrast to the halo of a few prominent products, many rural areas in Lac Thuy are struggling to find a place for their native products.

According to the report of the district People's Committee, up to now, Yen Bong commune has not had any OCOP products evaluated and classified. Some other communes have products that were previously recognized, but the re-evaluation period has expired, they do not meet the re-classification requirements, or they are in the "suspended OCOP" situation: the products exist but there is no organization in charge of building the chain, there is a lack of raw material area codes, the packaging has not been standardized, they do not appear on e-commerce platforms, etc.

"I don't know if custard apples in Dong Bong village are still recognized as OCOP or not. Because I don't see any mention of them anymore. The yield is still there, the quality is still good, but the output is unstable" - Mr. Quang, a custard apple garden owner in Dong Tam commune shared.

Faced with the above reality, according to Vice Chairwoman of the District People's Committee Hoang Thi Thu Hang, Lac Thuy clearly determined that in the coming period, the "One Commune One Product" Program needs to be organized and implemented more effectively and systematically, in which the role of the subject of OCOP products needs to be affirmed, especially in improving the quality and evaluating and ranking products.

The plan set by Lac Thuy district in the last months of 2025 is to "standardize at least 2 provincial-level OCOP products or higher", and at the same time focus on supporting communes that do not have OCOP products to build a systematic brand. To realize this goal, according to the Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee, Lac Thuy will first review all recognized OCOP products, assess the possibility of upgrading or re-classifying expired products. At the same time, communes that do not have OCOP products need to be "named" for their local specialties and supported in building a value chain from the beginning. Standardization of packaging, labels, growing area codes, and traceability of origin also need to be promoted, because this is a mandatory condition if you want to move towards a 4-5 star rating. The district also needs to support OCOP entities to access the market through e-commerce platforms, increase product promotion through fairs, communications, and link consumption with businesses. In the long term, the sustainability of OCOP will depend on the capacity of cooperatives, agricultural enterprises and political determination from the grassroots.

In the set of criteria for advanced new rural communes in 2025, criterion No. 13 - production organization and rural economic development - is one of the biggest "bottlenecks". Most communes have not met the requirements for key products, production linkages, e-commerce or raw material area codes. Therefore, if Lac Thuy wants to have a commune that meets advanced new rural standards in the near future, removing obstacles related to the OCOP program is a task that cannot be delayed.

Minh Vu

Source: https://baohoabinh.com.vn/12/201720/Huyen-Lac-Thuy-de-san-pham-OCOP-khong-chi-la-danh-hieu.htm