Exploiting local advantages and promoting the value of OCOP products in Nghe An

Since the Government launched the “One Commune One Product” (OCOP) Program, Nghe An has quickly established a direction that is suitable to local advantages, and at the same time, built a methodical implementation mechanism. Thanks to that, the province is now second in the country (after Hanoi) in the number of OCOP products achieving 3 stars or more.

Nghe An products mainly revolve around 3 groups: Traditional products associated with local culture; new products based on the advantage of available raw materials; and processed products to improve the quality of agricultural products. Over the years, the OCOP Program has become a strong driving force to promote rural production, helping to increase the value of agricultural products, create jobs and improve sustainable income for people.

Promoting advantages from the "One Commune One Product" (OCOP) Program

After a long period of development, many localities in Nghe An have had 1 to 3 OCOP products with 3-star quality, creating stable output and sustainable value. Up to now, the whole province has 743 OCOP products with 3 stars or more, including 3 products with 5-star rating, 45 products with 4-star rating, 695 products with 3-star rating. This number makes Nghe An one of the leading localities in the country in terms of the number of recognized OCOP products.

Beekeeping products of Mr. Nguyen Van Tien's household in Hamlet 5, Nghia Dong Commune. Photo: Khanh Ly

A vivid example of this change is Nghia Dong commune - a "four-region" land with a tradition of making Cua tiles, where people mainly work as workers in brick and tile factories. When the factories were dissolved, people returned to the fields and sought new livelihoods. The emergence of Nghia Dong Beekeeping Cooperative was an important turning point. The commune's honey products have achieved 3-star OCOP for many years now and are increasingly affirming their value.

With the guidance of local authorities and functional agencies, the honey production process has been built according to OCOP standards; and support in printing product packaging. Since then, the households have mastered the process, and the products have been increasingly developed. Nghia Dong honey products have achieved 3-star OCOP. Each bottle of honey costs 150,000 - 180,000 VND. Honey products can be stored for 2 years, the longer they are stored, the more beautiful the color and the richer the flavor. Photo: Thanh Nga

Since 2022, Nghia Dong commune has chosen honey as the main product to build OCOP. The beekeeping cooperative was established, starting with 17 households and 336 bee colonies. Up to now, the cooperative has 26 members, managing 525 bee colonies and is divided into 3 groups according to hamlets for convenient technical support. Large-scale households such as Mr. Nguyen Van Tien (Hamlet 5); Mr. Nguyen Trong Tu (Hamlet 7) all achieve high and stable yields every year.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Tien - Head of the Cooperative Group: In the 2024 honey season, the group collected nearly 7,000 bottles of honey; in the 2025 honey season, it collected about 6,500 bottles. With the right technical farming process, each beehive can produce 10 - 15 bottles of honey. Mr. Tien's family has 100 bee colonies, collecting more than 450 bottles of honey (about 300 liters/year), plus selling seeds, after deducting costs, the profit is about 100 million VND/year. This model creates jobs on the spot, makes good use of natural advantages and opens up a new direction of development for the once difficult land.

OCOP products are introduced and displayed at GO!Vinh supermarket. Photo: TP

Not only Nghia Dong commune, many other localities have also built OCOP product brands with typical agricultural products: Vinh oranges, grapefruit, lotus peanuts, dried lotus seeds, chayote, or processed products such as veal sausage, Cua Lo fish sauce, Mu Tun wine, instant tea from Solanum procumbens, Gymnema sylvestre, and handicraft products such as bamboo and rattan weaving, bamboo lamp sets... Typically, Van Kieu commune is a commune with many difficulties but currently has 11 products ranked as 3-star OCOP, in which, there are many OCOP products that have affirmed their brands in the market such as: Xa Doai oranges, guava, honey, green-skinned grapefruit, melon and black-skinned chicken eggs. These products are strongly consumed from many different channels.

Many OCOP products have made their mark in the market inside and outside the province such as: Products of Pu Mat Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company; Spirulina Quynh Anh; Van Phan Fish Sauce (Dien Chau)... In particular, the rattan and bamboo lantern products of Duc Phong Company Limited - the only 5-star OCOP product of Nghe An has been exported to many international markets. Mr. Thai Dai Phong - Director of the company said: Achieving OCOP standards helps products access the market more easily, thereby expanding the value chain. Thus, since the company's lantern products achieved 5-star standards, the products have been present in many international markets, helping the Vietnamese rattan and bamboo brand fly far and wide.

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The impact of the OCOP Program on the rural economy is obvious. OCOP increases product value, creates thousands of jobs, increases income and encourages the application of science and technology in processing and preservation. At the same time, linking products with indigenous culture and community tourism increases spillover value.

Mr. Le Van Luong - Head of the Department of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development of Nghe An

Currently, the OCOP Program creates regular jobs for about 2,300 workers, along with 1,800 - 2,000 seasonal workers, with an average income of 3.5 - 4 million VND/person/month. Some outstanding models such as brocade weaving associated with community tourism in Hoa Tien village (Chau Tien), Khe Ran village (Bong Khe) and Nua village (Yen Khe) have created jobs for 150 households, 205 workers, with an income of 3.8 - 4.2 million VND/person/month. More importantly, this model contributes to preserving the local cultural heritage and environmental landscape.

Changing the face of the countryside

Nghe An has many advantages with a large area, terrain stretching from plains, coastal areas to highlands; rich indigenous resources; diverse culinary culture. This is the foundation for the province to develop OCOP products with regional identity and meet the consumer market.

Provincial leaders visited the veal stall at Go!Vinh, which has been distributed by the supermarket for many years. Photo: TP

The province currently has 449 entities participating in the program, including enterprises, cooperatives and production and business households. Collective economy accounts for a large proportion: 194 cooperatives and cooperative groups (43%). More than 65% of OCOP products have completed packaging, labels, and traceability, meeting market requirements and improving professionalism.

OCOP products and specialties of Nghe An province. Photo: Bich Hue

According to the provincial Department of Agriculture, OCOP not only recognizes products but also creates momentum to promote the rural economy. The application of science and technology in deep processing and preservation helps improve productivity and quality. People's income has increased significantly, thanks to large-scale production and chain linkage.

Mr. Le Van Luong - Head of the Department of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development of Nghe An affirmed: "OCOP is not just an individual product, but a commodity in the ecosystem of production, processing, distribution and consumption". The orientation from 2023 to present is to build raw material areas that meet VietGAP, organic and GlobalGAP standards; combined with the application of food safety and hygiene standards in processing and transportation.

In addition to economic efficiency, OCOP also connects products with tourism and local culture. Tourists to Nghe An not only experience the landscape and history but also buy typical products such as Bac's hometown lotus tea, Nam Dan veal, Kim Nhan orange. This stimulates product consumption and increases the value of the local agricultural sector.

To improve efficiency, the province encourages OCOP entities to build concentrated raw material areas, link along value chains, and sign consumption contracts with businesses and e-commerce platforms. Nghe An is building an “OCOP product area map” to plan reasonably and improve management efficiency.

The province has also implemented many important solutions such as: Supporting the development of raw material areas, innovating processing technology; Building value chains, ensuring traceability and food safety; Investing in production infrastructure, training management skills for entities; Developing brands, registering trademarks and geographical indications.

In addition, according to Mr. Le Van Luong, digital transformation is considered an important lever to increase the competitiveness of products. The province encourages OCOP entities to participate in e-commerce, promote products on digital platforms and diversify distribution channels. Post-control supervision is strengthened to ensure product quality and maintain the reputation of OCOP Nghe An.

Bamboo and rattan lantern products of Duc Phong Company Limited are recognized as achieving 5-star OCOP. Photo: TP

With a clear orientation and serious investment, Nghe An is gradually affirming its position in developing OCOP products. The program not only enhances the value of agricultural products but also creates a foundation for sustainable rural economic development, linking production with tourism and indigenous culture. When indigenous values ​​are properly exploited, OCOP will continue to pave the way for Nghe An branded products to reach further in the domestic and international markets.

Source: https://baonghean.vn/khai-thac-loi-the-ban-dia-phat-huy-gia-tri-tu-san-pham-ocop-o-nghe-an-10312075.html