OCOP Thai Binh: Affirming brand, promoting advantages to create momentum for rural economic development

Identifying the implementation of the National Target Program on New Rural Development as one of the key solutions and tasks, Thai Binh has deployed the theme "One Commune One Product (OCOP)" to ensure sustainable quality in the direction of stable development with high added value and meeting the consumption needs of the market. In 5 years with 194 OCOP products recognized, economic organizations and production households in rural areas have truly changed their awareness and thinking, creating a creative and innovative revolution in promoting internal resources, contributing significantly to the economic restructuring, improving income and life of rural people. Mr. Vu Cong Binh - Head of the Department of Rural Development of Thai Binh province shared with Dan Viet readers about these remarkable marks.

Considered a key solution and task in implementing the National Target Program on New Rural Development as well as sustainable poverty reduction, Thai Binh has proactively built the "One Commune One Product" Program very early with specific guiding viewpoints, sir?

With the goal of implementing economic restructuring, restructuring agricultural production to develop the rural economy, improve income and living standards for people; develop forms of production organization, trade of traditional products, products, services with advantages that meet standards, have the ability to compete in domestic and international markets, contributing to the industrialization and modernization of agriculture and rural areas, Thai Binh has proactively directed the development of the OCOP Program.

Mr. Vu Cong Binh - Head of the Department of Rural Development of Thai Binh province shared about the results of the OCOP program.

Identifying this as a key economic development program in rural areas towards endogenous development and value addition, linking rural development with urban areas, the focus of the Thai Binh OCOP Program is to develop agricultural, non-agricultural products, and advantageous tourism services in the province towards innovation, creativity, focusing on linking and promoting internal resources implemented by OCOP economic organizations in the community. The products created from the OCOP Program are different, with characteristics associated with the traditions, culture, and unique natural conditions of Thai Binh province, creating competitive advantages to gain an advantage when distributing the domestic market and exporting abroad. The State plays a role in creating, promulgating a legal framework and policies to implement, support the stages of training, coaching, technical guidance, application of science and technology, branding, trade promotion, product promotion, and planning orientation for areas producing goods and services. The OCOP program is not limited to participating organizations, which can be large enterprises, small and medium enterprises, cooperatives, cooperative groups, and business households registered locally; however, priority is given to organizational forms with more community ownership, such as cooperatives, enterprises, etc.

Comrade Nguyen Tien Thanh, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Thai Binh province visited the booth participating in the Women's Creative Startup Festival.

The goal set by Thai Binh when building the "One Commune One Product" Project is to have 150 products recognized as OCOP products with 3 stars or higher by 2025, but by October 2024, the whole province has exceeded nearly 30%. Could you tell us about the direction and approach of the province to achieve this outstanding result?

According to the experience of the international OCOP program, from the formation of the idea to the time of planning, implementing trade promotion and capturing the market is a gradual process, there may be many experiments, even failures, experience drawing, revision and adjustment before leading to success. Therefore, Thai Binh determines a specific implementation roadmap for each stage. The period up to 2020 is the starting stage, focusing on perfecting the organizational structure of the Program Management Board at the provincial, district and communal levels and doing a good job of disseminating the ideology and awareness of developing OCOP products as a strategic task for agricultural, farmer and rural development. In addition to training and fostering knowledge for staff of the Program Management Board at all levels, pilot models of OCOP product development are also identified as the main target for this stage. In the period of 2021 - 2030, after successfully building OCOP models, OCOP products will be prioritized for development in the direction of creating novelty and breakthrough based on the available resources of the community (raw materials, labor, capital). At this stage, products participating in the OCOP program will diversify industries and product groups throughout the province. Production entities participating in the program will also be newly established or the operations of established entities will be consolidated, with priority given to cooperative models and small and medium enterprises.

Accordingly, immediately after the Project was approved, the Provincial People's Committee issued directive documents, assigning tasks to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to develop annual plans to implement the Program, establish an organizational apparatus to implement the Program, mobilize the participation of the entire political system from the province to the district, especially relevant departments, branches and local bases. The district level also focused on perfecting the steering apparatus and adding tasks to implement the OCOP Program to the District-level New Rural Area Coordination Office and the Commune-level New Rural Area Construction Steering Committee; at the same time, develop a district-level Project to implement the OCOP Program. Paying attention to strengthening training and capacity building for managers and guides in implementing the Program, the Provincial People's Committee has coordinated with the Central Office for New Rural Area Coordination and Central OCOP consultants to organize training and implementation for over 500 officials from departments, branches, mass organizations of the province, People's Committees of districts and subjects participating in the OCOP Program. Up to now, the provincial level has organized training for departments, branches, and subjects participating in the implementation of the Program. The district level has also organized training and propaganda for over 1,000 officials at the district, commune and village levels about the OCOP Program; at the same time, organized training courses for the team of officials participating in the management and operation of the OCOP Program, including members of the Council for evaluating and classifying products of the OCOP Program, members of the Advisory Group assisting the Council; Training on building and implementing business plans for the Program's participants, including district-level officials, enterprises, cooperatives, and production facilities participating in the OCOP Program in the area...

Thai Binh pays special attention to trade promotion and advertising OCOP products to consumers.

Boldly applying flexible policy mechanisms is also considered an effective stimulus move of Thai Binh. Could you please tell us more specifically about these policy mechanisms?

To specify the policies and regulations of the Central Government, Thai Binh province has issued a mechanism to support districts and cities in developing specific products of each locality in Decision No. 2376/QD-UBND dated September 21, 2018 of the Provincial People's Committee on promulgating regulations on a number of mechanisms and policies to support communes meeting national new rural standards, districts meeting national new rural standards and mechanisms and policies to support specific products of districts and cities. Accordingly, districts and cities have approved projects to develop specific products in the area and implement two or more specific products in concentrated commodity production areas according to approved planning; select based on local potential and advantages and meet market demand; control varieties, have cultivation processes to ensure clean and sustainable product standards; produce according to chains (linking production, processing and product consumption); Products with brands and stable consumption markets will be supported by the province with 1.0 billion VND to carry out planning, product branding and market development... From 2021 to the end of 2024, using the capital of the National Target Program on New Rural Development, provincial and district budgets have directly supported products registered to participate in the annual OCOP product assessment. Typically, Hung Ha district supports a maximum of no more than 100 million VND/product for OCOP products with 3 stars or higher (no more than 5 products per locality); rewards subjects with 30 million VND/product with 3 stars, 40 million VND/product with 4 stars, 50 million VND/product with 5 stars; rewards communes, towns, villages, and residential groups with 3-star products with 10 million VND/commune, 5 million VND/village; 4 stars reward 15 million VND/commune, 8 million VND/village; 5 stars reward 20 million VND/commune, 10 million VND/village. Thai Thuy district supports the development of goods and services to implement the OCOP Program for the period 2021-2023 (post-investment support) when recognized as reaching 3 stars or higher for cooperatives, cooperative groups, establishments, and individual households with support of no more than 90 million VND/product; small and medium enterprises support no more than 60 million VND/product and no more than 3 products/entity; for the second and third products, expenses are supported. Tien Hai district supports 80 million VND/01 product/entity....

Products created from the OCOP Program are different, with characteristics associated with the traditions, culture, and unique natural conditions of Thai Binh province.

Objectively evaluate current results to have the right directions for the future. What will this mean for Thai Binh, sir?

The OCOP program has made certain marks, initially achieving positive results, promoting many local advantageous products, and enhancing the role of the community. Up to now, the whole province has 48 products with 4 stars, 146 products with 3 stars, with 38 enterprises, 54 cooperatives and 45 business households participating in production. OCOP products are promoted, advertised, and have booths created on the Postmart.vn trading floor; participating in prestigious domestic and foreign e-commerce floors such as Alibaba, Sendo, Shopee, Saigon Co.op; Display, introduce, trade OCOP products, science and technology products and key products at the Thai Binh Technology and Equipment Exchange... The economic value of the products has been increased by 20% or more thanks to meeting OCOP criteria, digital technology has brought products to consumers faster, so sales of units have increased by 20% -30%, of which online sales revenue and e-commerce platforms account for 30%. Continuing to implement the OCOP Program, in 2024, 89 products registered to participate. OCOP products have really helped improve the agricultural production value chain, promote local agricultural specialties, access many consumption channels that are highly appreciated by the market inside and outside the province, gradually affirming their value and quality in the market, and gaining the trust of the people. This creates competitive pressure on Thai Binh products to always think, innovate, create, improve, perfect, and develop new products to meet market rules.

Leaders of Thai Binh province visited the booth introducing OCOP products of women in Kien Xuong district.

In fact, the potential and advantages for developing OCOP products from key products, craft village products, and local specialties of Thai Binh province are still very large, while the trend and demand for traditional products and specialties of the people are increasing. Therefore, in the coming time, Thai Binh will continue to promote communication activities to raise people's awareness through mass media from the provincial to commune and village levels; linking and integrating with propaganda activities in new rural construction. Review and promulgate the content, policies, and support levels of the OCOP Program according to each star level; prioritize support for product development entities, guidance, product profile building, and OCOP product rewards... Promote the application of science and technology, innovation, and improvement of small and medium-scale processing technology, especially OCOP products that have been recognized as achieving stars. Effectively integrate socio-economic development programs, projects, and science and technology programs and projects as well as other relevant mechanisms and policies; prioritize mobilizing resources in terms of capital, land, labor, raw materials, machinery, and technology of OCOP subjects... source: https://danviet.vn/ocop-thai-binh-khang-dinh-thuong-hieu-phat-huy-loi-the-tao-dong-luc-phat-trien-kinh-te-nong-thon-20241205085123093.htm