After more than 7 years of implementing the OCOP Program

The One Commune One Product (OCOP) program has been implemented in Thanh Hoa province for more than 7 years. Overcoming many difficulties and challenges that continuously arise, the program has achieved many great results. At the same time, it also sets new requirements when the 2-level local government is operated, so that OCOP becomes a production fulcrum for many rural areas, creating many livelihoods for people in the New Rural Development.

Customers look at products at a store specializing in OCOP products (Hac Thanh ward).

OCOP is a program to stimulate production development, unleash the potential strengths of each region, support the production of products to ensure the correct process and standards, help promote and develop the market for products. Since May 2018, when the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 490/QD-TTg to deploy the program nationwide, Thanh Hoa has quickly issued documents regulating and guiding implementation throughout the province. This is considered a component program of the National Target Program on New Rural Development, directly supporting the implementation of production criteria as well as increasing income for people in localities.

In the early years, the program encountered many difficulties and obstacles due to the fact that in the initial stage, there were binding regulations that had not been resolved, and many localities and production entities had not yet taken drastic action. Thanh Hoa province has had its own support mechanisms to stimulate demand, the most typical of which are the 4 resolutions of the Provincial People's Council issued in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025, which became the "lever" to implement the program.

Accordingly, the province has a specific one-time support level of 75 million VND to support promotion, propaganda, design, purchase of packaging, product labels, brand building, and trademarks for each OCOP product. At the same time, reward products that meet OCOP standards with 20 million VND/3-star OCOP product, 40 million VND/4-star OCOP product, 80 million VND/national 5-star OCOP product.

From 2021 to now, the Provincial People's Committee has supported 529 OCOP products, with a budget of more than 43.27 billion VND. Of which, in 2021 and 2022, 223 products were supported with a budget of 19.725 billion VND; in 2023 and 2024, 219 products were supported and rewarded with a total budget of 10.875 billion VND. In 2025, the province supported 169 products with a budget of 12.675 billion VND.

Along with that, the province and related units have strengthened training and coaching for OCOP officers at all levels, and promoted awareness raising for people and production entities about the program. Based on the OCOP Program training framework issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ), the Office of the New Rural Development Program Coordination of Thanh Hoa province has coordinated with relevant departments and branches to compile training materials for managers at all levels. Many knowledge such as the process of evaluating, classifying, managing products and product quality; promoting trade and advertising products; building and developing OCOP product brands; instructions for completing environmental criteria dossiers for product production; building and developing ideas, evaluating the feasibility of participating products... have been received by thousands of officers and entities for implementation. Participating in the program, many products have been supported in registering for intellectual property protection and some regulations on product labels; instructions on quality standards and product quality declaration.

According to information from the Provincial New Rural Development Program Coordination Office, by the end of October 2025, Thanh Hoa had 661 recognized OCOP products, including 59 4-star products and 2 5-star products. Currently, there are 492 production entities with OCOP products, including 82 enterprises, 132 cooperatives, 11 cooperative groups, 267 production and business households in 166 wards and communes. Over the past 5 years, Thanh Hoa has always been among the 5 localities with the most OCOP products in the country, many times maintaining the 2nd position after Hanoi .

After OCOP products were evaluated and classified, sectors and localities paid attention to promoting the application of information technology and digital transformation in OCOP product communication and traceability according to the value chain. OCOP entities have increasingly improved product quality, gained consumer trust; met the criteria of supermarkets and distributors to expand consumption markets inside and outside the province. From 2023-2024 to present, the Provincial New Rural Development Program Coordination Office has also advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue a decision to support OCOP entities in creating videos and building brands for promotion on digital platforms and social networks.

The Department of Industry and Trade, the Provincial New Rural Development Program Coordination Office and related sectors and units were also directed to organize many trade promotion campaigns, introducing OCOP products at fairs and tourist attractions inside and outside the province. Many OCOP products were put on e-commerce trading floors, such as: Postmar.vn, lazada, shopee, tiki, langnghethanhhoa.vn...

When merging the administration and operation of the two-level local government, the program was somewhat affected by the disruptions. Coordination, guidance, and support for the subjects to maintain and develop OCOP products were limited, many newly assigned officials did not have timely access, most of them were concurrently employed. Not only the propaganda and mobilization work, but also the task of promoting trade for the products was somewhat affected. Recently, the Office of the New Rural Development Program Coordination has advised the Provincial People's Committee and urged the communes to continue implementing a series of solutions to revive the program.

Article and photos: Ha Giang

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/sau-hon-7-nam-trien-khai-thuc-hien-chuong-trinh-ocop-266937.htm