The "upgrading" of existing 3-star OCOP products in Loc Ha ( Ha Tinh province ) through improved sales and marketing is essential, but is currently facing many difficulties.
Tam Anh sesame cakes from Tam Anh Bakery (Thong Nhat village, Ich Hau commune) are a product that achieved OCOP 3-star standard in 2020. This product is considered promising due to its good quality, attractive design, and guaranteed food safety, and is highly appreciated by consumers.
However, this production facility is still facing the possibility of creating a 4-star certified product. The main reasons are limitations in resources, production space, and connections to consumer markets.
Workers at Tam Anh Bakery (Ich Hau) are producing sesame cakes that meet OCOP 3-star standards.
Mr. Phan Van Do, owner of Tam Anh Bakery, shared: “To have a 4-star OCOP product, we have to invest an additional 800-900 million VND (currently we have invested nearly 2 billion VND) to purchase machinery, increase automation, reduce labor, and lower production costs.”
We also need to expand our production and business area from the current 400 m² to over 3,000 m² and train 10-15 skilled workers on-site. However, resources are very limited, making it difficult to implement. Therefore, the facility earnestly hopes to receive maximum support in terms of space, access to credit sources, and assistance in connecting with the market.”
Workers at the Ly Uy peanut oil production facility (Thach My) are bottling the product after distillation.
Currently, most production facilities in Loc Ha with products that have achieved OCOP 3-star certification are not enthusiastic about upgrading their products due to various obstacles. Many business owners report that, despite wanting to promote their brands, increase competitiveness, and develop products to 4-star or even 5-star status, some products are not yet being advertised, connected, or linked to sales as expected.
Furthermore, to "upgrade" their product rating, each product requires an investment of 400-800 million VND to improve the production line in a specialized direction, creating breakthroughs in product quality and innovating designs in a unique way... while the resources of these establishments are limited.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Trung (owner of Ngoc Diep squid processing facility in Hoa Thanh village, Thach Kim commune) shared: “Developing products to achieve OCOP 4-star standards and increasing sales is facing difficulties due to a shortage of raw materials (fresh, high-quality squid), which are insufficient to meet production requirements. Furthermore, to expand production and improve product quality, we need additional investment resources, but currently there are no preferential loan policies, making access to credit channels difficult.”
The booth displays Ngoc Diep dried squid products and other OCOP products from Loc Ha district at trade fairs.
To date, Loc Ha has 11 products that have achieved 3-star status (40% of which have the potential to be upgraded to 4-star), and all have benefited from provincial and district policies on brand identity development, packaging printing, training, and trade promotion. However, currently, none of the products have achieved 4-star status, and some products that have achieved the standard have not truly developed, have not increased their production value, and have limited market access.
The reasons for the difficulties and the lack of enthusiasm among consumers for "upgrading" to higher-quality products are attributed to the complex situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in previous years, which caused most products to face difficulties in trade, promotion, and consumption. Many establishments, even after achieving the standard, were not proactive in promoting their image, conducting trade promotion, or diversifying their sales. Products that have achieved the standard lacked distinctiveness and superiority compared to similar products on the market...
The relevant departments and agencies have instructed the Thanh Tuan sticky rice wine production facility (Hong Loc) to affix OCOP 3-star standard product labels and promote its brand.
To "upgrade" OCOP products and expand their market and consumption, in addition to strengthening propaganda, encouragement, and incentives, Loc Ha district will enhance its support for production facilities in product promotion and advertising, participation in trade fairs, building exhibition booths, and proposing that credit institutions provide interest rate support...
Specifically, Loc Ha district is prioritizing the allocation of resources to provide support for OCOP products from 2021 to 2025, including support for 5-star (50 million VND/product), 4-star (40 million VND/product), and 3-star (30 million VND/product) OCOP products, as well as support for land rental, store rental, construction, and purchase of display equipment for OCOP products (30 million VND/store/year)...
The OCOP product evaluation, scoring, and ranking council of Loc Ha district scored and decided to recognize two products as achieving 3-star standard in May 2023.
Mr. Phan Ba Ninh, an official from the New Rural Development Office of Loc Ha district, informed: To improve the quality of OCOP products, aiming to achieve 4-star and 5-star standards associated with the development of production and consumption, we will continue to support management training, marketing skills training, improve sales capabilities, and encourage businesses to proactively participate in training courses, and introduce and promote their products.
"Relevant departments, agencies, and local authorities will continue to encourage and support production facilities in overcoming difficulties, further improving product quality, expanding production, and proactively seeking partners for cooperative consumption."
Tien Phuc
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