Developing OCOP products from specialized areas

Through the development of agricultural, non-agricultural products and local services according to the value chain, over the past 6 years, the OCOP Program of Thanh Hoa province has contributed to restructuring agricultural production and increasing the value of specialized areas. Specialized areas have promoted their advantages, increased the value of agricultural products, expanded the market and improved the lives of rural people.

The specialized tea production area of ​​Binh Son Agricultural and Forestry Service Cooperative, Tho Binh commune has developed quality OCOP products.

The Bac Luong Citrus Production and General Trading Cooperative, Tho Long Commune, is one of the very successful models in developing OCOP products from concentrated specialized cultivation areas. Over the years, the cooperative's member households have gathered and linked with dozens of member households and local people to develop Dien grapefruit trees according to VietGAP standards and apply new techniques to produce and build the Phu Bac grapefruit brand; at the same time, focusing on production according to the OCOP cycle to create quality products.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tien in My Thuong village said: "To create Phu Bac grapefruit products that meet standards and quality, the Cooperative has trained and instructed people to produce according to the process. At the same time, we also focus on better packaging and label management to affirm our position and prominence compared to similar products on the market."

According to statistics, Tho Long commune currently has more than 40 hectares of Dien grapefruit and peach grapefruit, of which 15 hectares are grown according to VietGAP standards with 35 participating households. Through the process of intensive cultivation and selection of varieties, good lines have been created, giving fruits with a rich sweetness, characteristic aroma, beautiful color and appearance... To increase the value of products, the locality has focused on developing concentrated fruit growing areas, including Dien grapefruit, providing products in large quantities in the direction of goods. At the same time, guide farmers to innovate intensive farming processes, synchronously apply advanced production processes such as selecting high-quality varieties, producing according to VietGAP standards, organic orientation... Dien grapefruit products have been granted a collective trademark registration certificate by the Department of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Science and Technology in 2023. Along with that, the product is recognized as meeting 3-star OCOP standards with the Phu Bac grapefruit brand, contributing to making the local Dien grapefruit specialized growing area competitive in the market.

It is known that since specialized production according to VietGAP standards and OCOP certification, the consumption of the cooperative's products has been favorable, with profits increasing from 20% to 25% compared to before.

Similarly, some units such as Thieu Hung Agricultural Service Cooperative, Thieu Hoa commune have built a specialized area for growing safe vegetables and fruits and 2 4-star OCOP products; Phu Loc Agricultural Service Cooperative has developed spinach products. In the specialized watermelon growing area of ​​Nga Son commune, Mai An Tiem island commune's watermelon product has also been developed, achieving 3 OCOP stars; the specialized tea growing area of ​​Binh Son Agricultural and Forestry Service Cooperative has developed 3 OCOP products... These are just a few of the many specialized agricultural production areas of the province with OCOP products.

According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the whole province has 55 specialized agricultural production areas, 49 concentrated livestock farms, thousands of hectares of aquaculture with more than 200 existing agricultural products, well received by the market. This is a solid foundation for building the OCOP value chain and brand. Thanks to that, up to now, the whole province has had 661 OCOP products evaluated and certified, including many OCOP products originating from specialized areas.

Phu Bac grapefruit products of Tho Long commune's specialized growing area are certified with 3-star OCOP.

Despite many achievements, the development of OCOP from specialized areas still faces many challenges, namely: Production scale in many places is still small; investment in technology application, brand building, design; application of digital technology has not been focused on. Along with that, because the infrastructure serving production in specialized areas has not been invested in and developed synchronously, product quality is not uniform, output is not stable, leading to the unsustainability of OCOP product supply chains in the market.

In order to develop production in specialized areas, contributing to improving product quality in general and OCOP product quality from specialized areas in particular, Thanh Hoa province has built many support mechanisms and policies. Especially supporting the subjects to build raw material areas that meet the standards of organic, safety, VietGAP, GlobalGAP, HACCP, building growing area codes and growing area brands for OCOP products... At the same time, organizing and coordinating many trade promotion activities, connecting the consumption of key agricultural products, OCOP products, regional specialties in and outside the province. In fact, from the support of the province and the active efforts of the subjects, from concentrated specialized areas, a series of OCOP products of Thanh Hoa have emerged with a new look, contributing to improving the value of the agricultural sector and the quality of people's lives.

Article and photos: Le Hoa

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/phat-trien-san-pham-ocop-tu-nhung-vung-chuyen-canh-268460.htm