OCOP and tourism with rural economy

Vietnamese passion fruit is currently being intensively processed for export to the US and EU. (Photo: THUY ANH)

The OCOP program and rural tourism development have been and are being promoted by the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment .

Impressive numbers

After more than 5 years, the country now has nearly 17,400 OCOP products recognized, of which 9,345 products are owned by cooperatives, enterprises and households. Quang Ninh is one of the leading provinces in OCOP development with 437 products achieving 3 stars or more.

Vice Chairman of Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van Cong said that the OCOP program for the 2021-2025 period contributes to promoting the restructuring of the agricultural sector and improving people's lives.

From the initial 40 economic organizations, the province now has 180 organizations and production establishments participating in OCOP. Most economic models have a close link between production and consumption of agricultural products, creating jobs for local workers.

The production and processing model of yellow flower tea of Dap Thanh Forestry Trading Joint Stock Company, Ba Che commune is considered a bright spot. From a small-scale production household, Mr. Trang has boldly invested in expanding the yellow flower tea growing area with an area of dozens of hectares. Ba Che yellow flower tea products are recognized as 5-star OCOP, becoming a typical brand of Quang Ninh, present in many supermarkets, tourist attractions and events inside and outside the province.

Director of Dap Thanh Ninh Forestry Products Trading Joint Stock Company Van Trang shared: “Participating in the OCOP program is a big turning point that helps our products standardize processes, gain a solid foothold, and create regular jobs for dozens of local workers with an income of about 8 million VND/person/month”.

If Ba Che (Quang Ninh) affirms its position and develops the local economy with 5-star OCOP products, in Thai Nguyen province, people in the Thai Hai Ethnic Ecological Stilt House Village Conservation Area, Tan Cuong commune choose to preserve cultural identity to do community tourism.

Located in the middle of the green midland hills, Thai Hai Ethnic Ecological Stilt House Village Conservation Area is where ancient Thai culture is still preserved intact in daily life, from stilt houses, customs, cuisine to Then melodies and Tinh lute sounds.

Village chief Nguyen Thi Thanh Hai shared: “The most important thing is that culture is not only told, but also brought back to life in the people’s lives. We welcome guests with sincerity, with our lifestyle and culture.”

Every year, Thai Hai Ethnic Ecological Stilt House Village Conservation Area welcomes tens of thousands of visitors, creating stable jobs for more than 100 workers, with an income of 6-8 million VND/person/month.

Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Thai Nguyen province, Nguyen My Hai, said that after the merger of the province, in addition to natural tourism resources such as national parks, nature reserves, rivers, streams, lakes, waterfalls, caves, etc., the province also has rich cultural tourism resources belonging to 51 ethnic groups, a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity, 45 national intangible cultural heritages, etc.

This is an opportunity for the province to plan and develop tourism in a professional, modern and effective direction.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the country currently has more than 600 agricultural and rural tourism models. In particular, there are more than 200 OCOP products on community tourism services and tourist destinations rated 3 stars or higher. These models not only contribute to increasing income and preserving local culture, but also build the image of a civilized and livable Vietnamese countryside, attracting domestic and foreign tourists.

Bringing OCOP products and tourism far and wide

Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang said that entering a new development stage of the country, it is necessary to implement the OCOP program more effectively and sustainably, associated with the goal of improving the lives of rural people; clearly defining that rural economic development must go hand in hand with social, environmental and cultural development.

From a local perspective, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province Nguyen Van Cong suggested that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment continue to advise the Government to issue synchronous mechanisms and policies, apply digital transformation in quality management, link consumption and develop value chains from production to distribution, so that Vietnamese OCOP products can affirm their brands in domestic and international markets.

Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Thai Nguyen province, Nguyen My Hai, said that in the coming time, the province will focus on developing agricultural tourism associated with building new rural areas in a sustainable and modern direction. The province is completing planning and policies to attract businesses to invest in this field, while mobilizing maximum resources to support OCOP products, craft villages, and community tourism models.

According to Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will focus on 5 groups of key tasks and solutions so that OCOP products are not only a story of agricultural products, but also a direction for multi-value rural economic development, linking production, tourism, culture and environment; continue to accompany localities, businesses and people, promote the OCOP program to develop sustainably, becoming a national brand.

SON HA

Source: https://nhandan.vn/ocop-va-du-lich-voi-kinh-te-nong-thon-post921917.html