Challenges and solutions for OCOP products

As a “launching pad” to help Thai Nguyen agricultural products affirm their brands, the OCOP Program has now become a concern for many entities when entering the re-evaluation cycle. After 36 months, a series of products are at risk of “degrading” or not being able to renew due to new criteria on documents, packaging, quality standards, intellectual property, etc.

Thai Nguyen 's OCOP-standard products are highly appreciated by domestic and international consumers.

At Tuyet Huong Cooperative, two OCOP tea products are due for re-recognition, one of which is aiming to be upgraded to 5 stars. Ms. Tran Thi Tuyet, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors (BOD) and Director of the Cooperative, said: The new criteria stipulate documents, packaging, intellectual property and quality certification, so the time and cost of implementation have increased.

With a small-scale cooperative lacking administrative staff, Ms. Tuyet had to do most of the paperwork herself despite her limited digital skills. “Just writing the product story to meet the 5-star standard takes a lot of time,” Ms. Tuyet shared.

Compared to before, the OCOP criteria have been raised, the cost of re-evaluating each product now ranges from 40-50 million VND, creating great pressure on small establishments.

Not only Tuyet Huong Cooperative, Tan Phu Organic Hill Chicken Cooperative also faces a similar situation. Chairman of the Board of Directors Nguyen Van Tuyen said that the entities need to be given technical guidance, and at the same time must proactively store records, demonstrate quality and standardize production processes.

An important criterion for a product to achieve 5-star OCOP is to have stable exports. Viet Cuong Vermicelli Cooperative, thanks to its large output and wide output, has maintained exports for many years, so it is favorable for evaluation. However, many cooperatives or small production facilities, despite high-quality products, cannot export officially, making the goal of achieving 5 stars almost "out of reach".

According to Ms. Duong Viet Ha, Economic Department of Dong Hy commune, previously the district level directly guided the preparation of OCOP dossiers, but when the district level no longer existed, the amount of support was transferred to the commune economic group. For communes with many OCOP products, the staff could not "hold hands and guide" them all, forcing many subjects to hire consultants to keep up with the progress.

Officials of the Economic Department of Phu Binh commune guide the subjects to complete the documents and procedures for scoring OCOP products.

The province currently has more than 560 OCOP products, of which 151 are due for re-evaluation. However, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has only received a few dozen applications. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Tung, Deputy Head of the Provincial Department of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development, said: The requirement for additional evidence, new standards and limited capacity of small cooperatives are the main reasons for the slow progress.

The OCOP program brings practical value to production and product branding. The province currently has 10 5-star products, 113 4-star products and 438 3-star products from 323 entities (including cooperatives, enterprises, cooperative groups and production and business households).

To support re-recognition, the Department of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development has issued new guidelines, organized 9 training courses, and established delegations to inspect and guide the completion of documents. Along with that, the subjects need to proactively store documents, standardize production processes, complete evidence and improve product quality. When the initiative of the facility is combined with technical support from the locality, the re-recognition process will be more favorable, contributing to maintaining the brand and enhancing the sustainable value of Thai Nguyen OCOP products.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202511/thach-thuc-va-giai-phap-cho-san-pham-ocop-ec351ea/