The Hmong people produce OCOP products.

The black chickens are raised free-range on the hills.

Meeting Mr. Giàng A Vành, the Party Secretary of Khằm 2 village – the initiator of the idea to develop the indigenous black chicken breed into an OCOP (One Commune One Product) product – I was quite surprised to learn that after deducting investment and breeding costs, the profit from his recent batch of chickens reached 200 million VND. With a substantial amount of capital, Mr. Vành plans to continue expanding his investment and promoting the product. According to Mr. Vành: “The most important thing is finding a market for the households raising and developing the Khằm black chicken breed. Once we have a market, we don't have to worry about the quality of our product not being competitive enough.”

For a long time, people in some villages of Trung Ly commune have traditionally raised native black chickens, mainly for family consumption. Through research, Mr. Vanh realized that the native black chicken breed of the Mong ethnic group has high nutritional value and is favored by consumers. Given the characteristics and climatic conditions of the high mountainous region, this black chicken breed is not only a source of clean food but also embodies the rich cultural identity of the ethnic group. This represents potential for development into a local branded product, contributing to increased income and affirming the value of agricultural products in the border region of Muong Lat.

Based on that understanding, in 2021, Mr. Vành conceived the idea of developing the breeding of native black chickens on a commercial scale. With a scale of 200 to 300 chickens per batch, he both sells commercial chickens and breeds them to supply other farmers. Wanting to enhance the value of the product, he boldly invested in a slaughterhouse ensuring hygiene, vacuum packaging, and food safety standards. In addition, he invested in an egg incubator to proactively supply chicks to other farmers. Following Mr. Vành's model, more and more households in Khằm 1 and Khằm 2 villages have started raising native black chickens on a concentrated scale. Thanks to this, Mr. Vành has been able to collaborate with 21 other households to build a stable supply chain for native black chickens.

Mr. Giàng Seo Vảng, a farmer raising native black chickens in Khằm 2 village, shared: “Previously, I only raised a few chickens to serve as meals for my family. Seeing Mr. Vành's successful farming, I learned from him and followed his example. After just one year, my flock of native black chickens has grown to nearly a hundred, and each batch brings in a profit of over 10 million VND. Thanks to raising native black chickens, my family has a stable source of income, and life is less difficult.”

After being recognized as a 3-star OCOP product in 2024, Trung Ly commune encouraged its residents to invest in developing a flock of native black chickens, with a scale of nearly 1,000 chickens per batch. This opened the door for local agricultural products to reach the market, contributing to job creation and sustainable income growth for the people.

The main concern is the unstable market for consumption. "We urgently need support to connect with markets in major cities, supermarkets, and stores selling clean agricultural products. If we have a stable market, the villagers will feel more secure in developing and expanding their scale," said Giàng A Vành.

The success of the indigenous black chicken farming model in Trung Ly commune is not just an isolated story, but also the result of supportive policies. Within the framework of the National Target Program for socio -economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, many support projects have been implemented in Muong Lat. A prime example is the project supporting the commercial raising of black chickens for community groups in Pu Nhi, Trung Ly, and Tam Chung communes. With the Kham indigenous black chicken brand achieving OCOP 3-star status, it is becoming a "pillar" for people in border communes of Thanh Hoa province to rise out of poverty.

Text and photos: Dinh Giang

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/nguoi-mong-lam-san-pham-ocop-252468.htm