Boosting the potential of OCOP products.

The One Commune One Product (OCOP) program, implemented by localities throughout the province since 2018, has opened up a new direction in the development of agricultural and rural economies. It has shifted the mindset of people from relying on experience and small-scale production to producing high-value-added goods with standardized quality, packaging, traceability, and clear branding... while still retaining the unique identity and pride of their homeland.

The 5-star OCOP product of Hoai Trung Tea Co., Ltd. was widely introduced to delegates attending the Conference on Tea Industry Development for the period 2025-2030 in the Northern Midlands and Mountains region.

With a passion for the tea industry and 20 years of experience in tea production, processing, trading, and export, Ms. Bui Thi Mao, Director of Hoai Trung Tea Co., Ltd. in Chi Tien commune, enthusiastically participated when Phu Tho province launched the OCOP (One Commune One Product) program. After learning and investing in upgrading processing and preservation technology, the company's products have now been recognized as achieving OCOP 5-star status (the first product from the former Phu Tho province to receive this title). On average, the company exports more than 1,000 tons of finished tea products, including black and green tea, annually, generating hundreds of billions of VND in revenue.

Ms. Mão shared: "To create momentum for OCOP products and lay the groundwork for upgrading their ranking, businesses pay special attention to developing sustainable raw material areas, selecting good tea varieties, applying organic farming processes, and ensuring safety standards and traceability. In addition, building a product story is also extremely important; it must highlight the local cultural characteristics of the product as well as the culture of the business. This is reflected right from the product packaging design stage to attract customers."

Phung Gia Mushroom Co., Ltd., located in Binh Nguyen commune, is currently one of the largest producers of organic mushrooms in the province, supplying an average of 450 tons of mushrooms per year under the Phung Gia Mushroom brand, which has achieved OCOP 4-star rating. The company also provides stable employment for approximately 15 local workers with an average income of 7-10 million VND per person per month. Mr. Phung Van Cuong, the company representative, shared: "Building an OCOP product is difficult, but elevating it, creating momentum, and promoting it to a wider consumer base is even more challenging. Therefore, the company always prioritizes quality, reputation, and customer trust as its guiding principles. Thanks to building a strong reputation in the market, the company's mushroom products are now available in almost all provinces and cities nationwide."

To date, the province has 609 products rated 3 stars or higher, including 503 products rated 3 stars, 100 products rated 4 stars, and 6 products rated 5 stars. In addition, the province also has 4 products from Tam Dao Beekeeping Joint Stock Company with the potential to achieve OCOP 5 stars, and has submitted them to the Central Evaluation Council for national-level OCOP product ranking. It is expected that an additional 80 products will be evaluated and ranked by the end of the year, bringing the total number of products rated 3 stars or higher to 689.

To boost and expand the market for OCOP products, applying digital transformation, especially bringing products to e-commerce platforms, is a feasible and highly effective measure. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has implemented synchronized solutions to support OCOP entities in accessing digital platforms. Simultaneously, it has coordinated with relevant departments, businesses, cooperatives, and producers to standardize product designs, labels, traceability, and build product images suitable for the online business environment.

Bringing OCOP products onto e-commerce platforms is opening up new consumption avenues for OCOP producers in Phu Tho province, while also demonstrating the province's determination in digitalizing agriculture, aiming for a modern and sustainable rural economy . This is an opportunity for local agricultural products to access a wider market and create a foundation for the province's agricultural products to assert their position on the national digital agricultural map.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hiep, Deputy Head of the Rural Development Sub-Department, the impetus for OCOP products comes from promoting e-commerce, building green and sustainable value chains, multi-sectoral linkages, improving quality and branding through science and technology, training, and diversifying distribution channels (supermarkets, specialized sales points). Key factors include supporting small businesses and cooperatives, providing digital skills training for stakeholders, connecting domestic and international markets, leveraging the strengths of raw material areas and local identity to create sustainable competitive advantages.

Quan Lam

Source: https://baophutho.vn/suc-bat-cho-san-pham-ocop-244488.htm