When cooperatives participate in OCOP

Members of Thuan Phat Cooperative, Tan Doan Commune harvest mushrooms

Agricultural production in the province is mainly small and fragmented. However, in recent times, through the cooperative model, many households have gathered together to develop production. At the same time, cooperatives have actively participated in the OCOP program, bringing products far and wide.

Established in June 2021, Dong Bang Agricultural Production and Service Cooperative, Chi Lang commune has taken advantage of and applied science and technology to develop Chi Lang custard apple products with a total area of over 34 hectares. At the end of 2021, having access to the OCOP program through training conferences, Mr. Hua Quoc Cong, Director of the Cooperative, had the idea of registering the Cooperative's custard apple products to participate in the OCOP program. Mr. Cong said: To participate in the OCOP program, the Cooperative has proactively applied custard apple care techniques according to VietGAP standards to improve product quality; focusing on logo design, product packaging design... Thanks to that, by the end of 2021, the Cooperative has Chi Lang custard apple products achieving 3-star OCOP and achieving 4-star OCOP in 2022.

Mr. Cong shared: Participating in the OCOP program helps the cooperative affirm product quality, stable prices and be accepted by consumers, the consumption market is expanded throughout the provinces and cities in the country and is included in the supermarket system in Hanoi . In the past 3 years, the cooperative's custard apple output has reached about 200 tons, with a value of about 7 billion VND.

Similar to the above cooperative, Ba Son Transport Service Cooperative, Ba Son commune also proactively produces macadamia products that meet the criteria to participate in the OCOP program. At the same time, in early 2024, the cooperative was supported by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Cao Loc district (old) to design a logo and barcode to trace the origin of macadamia products with the name "Hai Dang macadamia nuts" and prepare a profile to participate in the evaluation and classification of OCOP products. As a result, Hai Dang macadamia nuts of the cooperative achieved 3-star OCOP. After achieving OCOP, the product has packaging, labels and traceability stamps and is the preferred choice of consumers. On average, each year, the cooperative produces about 4 tons of finished macadamia nuts, worth nearly 1 billion VND, helping to create regular jobs for 4 to 5 local workers. Mr. Ha Van Can, Director of the Cooperative, said: Realizing the effectiveness of participating in the OCOP program, in the coming time, the Cooperative will continue to apply science and technology to planting and caring for macadamia, focusing on improving product packaging, meeting customer needs, and at the same time creating conditions for the Cooperative to upgrade its OCOP star.

Identifying the important role of the OCOP program in rural economic development, in recent years, all levels and specialized sectors in the province have focused on implementing it. Accordingly, from 2024 to present, the whole province has organized over 110 conferences to disseminate the state's policies and mechanisms on rural economic development and the OCOP program for over 4,400 participants... Thereby, raising awareness and promoting economic organizations to actively participate in the program.

In addition to propaganda and training, in recent times, specialized sectors and related units have supported stamps and labels for subjects participating in the OCOP program, including cooperatives. For example, from 2024 to present, the whole province has supported over 25,710 traceability stamps, more than 63,700 packages of all kinds, over 22,700 stamps and labels... In addition, it also supports the issuance of VietGAP certificates, supports food safety and quality registration, packaging design, logos... for products participating in the OCOP program.

Up to now, the whole province has 231 products evaluated and classified as OCOP products from 3 to 4 stars, of which 159 OCOP products are still valid according to regulations. The number and structure of subjects with products evaluated and classified as OCOP products is 126 subjects, of which 50 subjects are cooperatives (accounting for nearly 40%).

With the support of the professional sector, cooperatives have proactively participated in the OCOP program, thereby contributing to increasing the value of products, affirming the position and competitiveness of cooperatives in the market. In the coming time, in order for cooperatives to effectively participate in the OCOP program, the professional sector will continue to implement mechanisms and policies to encourage and support the development of cooperatives.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/hop-tac-xa-gop-suc-xay-dung-san-pham-ocop-5056444.html