The person who raised corn, potatoes, and cassava to OCOP status

Ms. Pham Thi Tu Hau, Director of Yen Anh Agricultural Products Processing Cooperative (Hoac Chau village, Co Do commune, Hanoi) was born into a farming family.

Since childhood, Pham Thi Tu Hau had to get used to potatoes, cassava, and corn - the things that feed both people and livestock. Although they are useful, potatoes, cassava, and corn have never created a sustainable livelihood for her hometown people. A good harvest can lead to low prices, but a bad harvest can also lead to low prices.

Her father died early, her mother worked hard to raise her children. Like many other women in the countryside, she hoped that her children would be educated so that they could escape to a leisurely and stable life. Fulfilling her mother's wish, she grew up to become a pharmacist and opened a drug store near her home. Life seemed to pass peacefully like that. But for Ms. Hau, every time she saw her fellow countrymen having to sell agricultural products at low prices, she felt restless and worried. From then on, the idea of ​​processing corn, potatoes, and cassava into valuable products arose in her mind to bring better income to her family and the farmers in her hometown.

After learning about some safe agricultural processing models that are very successful in the regions, Ms. Hau discussed with her husband and received his support and encouragement about the idea of ​​starting a business from agricultural processing. So from there, she both tested and learned from the processing formulas as well as packaging methods to form her own safe agricultural processing facility.

Ms. Pham Thi Tu Hau, founder of Yen Anh Agricultural Production and Processing Cooperative. Photo: Yen Anh Agricultural Cooperative.

“I see that my hometown Ba Vi has a large land area, many hills and mountains, people grow cassava, corn, and potatoes, but sometimes they cannot sell them even though the price is low, so I have to research ways to process them to buy and support people. From cassava and potatoes, I have created dozens of products, not only cassava cakes with coconut cream, cassava cakes with cheese, cassava cakes with wood ear mushrooms, cassava cakes with green beans and coconut, but also make powdered ingredients to cook sweet soup.

All have been tested for indicators, have food safety certificates and I am currently working on a HACCP certificate. Unlike industrial products that often contain preservatives, the cooperative's products are completely preservative-free and are deep-frozen after being finished and transported to various locations in styrofoam boxes to ensure safety for 1-2 days. For areas that are too far away, the goods are sent by refrigerated trucks, which can ensure food safety for 3-4 days," Ms. Hau shared.

Sweet potato is a 3-star OCOP product. Photo: Provided by the character.

When she learned about the OCOP program, she boldly brought her products to participate and 3 products were evaluated by the jury with 3 stars, including sweet potato cocoons, crispy fried corn and coconut cassava cake. These are not traditional products of Ba Vi, but all of which she researched and developed herself, taking raw materials from her hometown, including areas that cooperate with local people in production, and areas that purchase freely. Since being certified with 3-star OCOP, her products have been better recognized by the brand, known to more customers, so the consumption output has increased significantly.

Moreover, Ms. Pham Thi Tu Hau's project "No du cu cassava Ba Vi" was recognized by the Hanoi Women's Union as a creative product in 2023. Her cassava cheese cake product is not only popular in the domestic market but has also been exported to a number of demanding markets with fixed orders.

Coconut cassava cake, 3-star OCOP product. Photo: Provided by the character.

When she was a business household, she knew how to use e-commerce platforms and social networking sites to promote, introduce products and expand consumption channels. When she realized the development trend of the collective economy more than a year ago, she converted from a business household to Yen Anh Agricultural Production and Processing Cooperative with 7 participating members. Currently, the Cooperative creates jobs for dozens of local workers, mainly women, with a stable income of 5-7 million VND/month. Every month, the Cooperative supplies the market with dozens of tons of processed products from Ba Vi agricultural materials such as corn, potatoes, cassava, etc.

The new Co Do commune was formed on the basis of merging the entire natural area and population of the communes of Phu Cuong, Co Do, Phong Van, Phu Hong, Phu Dong, and Van Thang of Ba Vi district from July 1, 2025. Therefore, the agricultural potential of this locality is very large. In addition to the sweet potato cocoon products, crispy fried corn, and coconut cassava cakes of Yen Anh in Co Do commune, there are many other OCOP products such as Vietnamese-Japanese spring rolls, potatoes, and Ba Vi potato patties of Dai Phat.

Minh Quoc table and chair set, stone incense wood altar of Dang Quoc Viet establishment; Vegetarian ham, vegetarian sausage of To Tam Chay establishment; Green bean ham of Tam Lap establishment; Ancient Son Tra wine, herbal wine of Co Do traditional wine establishment; Handmade rice noodles of Thanh Tung establishment; Banh Khuc of Huy Nga establishment... This is the way that this locality enhances agricultural products, improves people's income as well as contributes to the construction of new rural areas.

This article is in collaboration with the Office of the Hanoi City New Rural Development Program Coordination.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/nguoi-nang-tam-ngo-khoai-san-len-hang-ocop-d783934.html