"Farmer-Director" Develops 7 OCOP Products in President Ho Chi Minh's Hometown

A heartfelt desire to enhance the value of local agricultural products.

Every October, the people of Dai Hue commune begin the kudzu harvest season. This is a traditional crop of the locality, located at the foot of Dai Hue mountain, not only because it has been cultivated for many generations, but also because of the superior quality of the kudzu plant when it takes root in this land.

Born and raised in his homeland, Mr. Tran Dinh Son - Director of Dai Hue Green Agricultural Cooperative - understands the value of kudzu root to the economic development and livelihoods of the local people. Not wanting to waste the potential of his homeland, he soon conceived the idea of ​​developing the economy from kudzu root with his fellow villagers.

Mr. Tran Dinh Son shared: “This plant thrives in sandy loam soil, yielding high productivity and, for a long time, serving as a food source for people in our rural area. Later, when I decided to develop and upgrade this special plant, I submitted samples to relevant authorities for testing and quality assessment. According to the test results at that time (2019) from the Department of Science and Technology, the kudzu root grown in Nam Anh has many outstanding characteristics compared to those grown in other localities, especially in terms of starch content, minerals, and flavor. This is also one of the motivations for me to pursue my determination to develop kudzu starch into an OCOP product of the province.”

In the early days of their business, Mr. and Mrs. Tran Dinh Son both directly worked in the fields planting and caring for the plants, and also connected with local farmers to purchase cassava. During harvest season, they worked tirelessly from morning till night. By day, they were farmers in the fields, and by night, they were cassava processing workers at their factory located right in their yard.

“The early days were incredibly difficult, lacking both capital and manpower because we didn't have enough money to hire workers. Furthermore, at that time, people didn't have much faith in the sales capabilities of a new business like ours. In fact, for a long time, households producing cassava starch by hand mainly sold it locally, and the sales volume wasn't high,” Mr. Son explained.

Then, in 2019, when the government implemented a policy to encourage the development of household economies, Mr. Tran Dinh Son received guidance and support from the local authorities to establish a cooperative, attracting capital and labor. At the same time, local agricultural products, including cassava starch, were actively supported by the Nam Dan district at that time, with a focus on developing them into OCOP (One Commune One Product) products.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, cassava plants in the areas participating in joint ventures and cooperation with Dai Hue Agricultural Cooperative are grown according to VietGAP standards to ensure the quality of the OCOP cassava starch product. In addition, the cassava starch processing facility is also inspected for food safety and hygiene, and is regularly monitored and checked by relevant authorities to ensure consistent product quality.

Creating jobs and increasing consumption of local agricultural products.

In the Dai Hue area, almost every household has a plot of land for growing kudzu. Previously, households cultivated kudzu on a small scale, not in contiguous areas. Since the locality began developing the OCOP (One Commune One Product) program, Mr. Tran Dinh Son also started his own workshop and signed contracts to grow and purchase kudzu from local people. In addition to his family's more than 3 hectares of kudzu fields, the Dai Hue Agricultural Cooperative has also signed contracts with dozens of other households.

“The cooperative will provide support with seeds, fertilizers, and guidance on how to care for the plants. At harvest time, they will also provide harvesting and transportation machinery, and the households will pay with their produce. On average, the yield of kudzu in the area is about 20 tons/ha. With a purchase price of about 10,000 VND/kg, it brings people a considerable income each year,” said Mr. Tran Dinh Son. Each kudzu harvest season, the Dai Hue Agricultural Cooperative consumes about 200 tons of fresh kudzu from farmers, mainly in Dai Hue commune.

Not only does the Dai Hue Agricultural Cooperative maintain the efficiency of cassava cultivation areas, but its operation also creates regular jobs for 3-5 workers and dozens more during the harvest and cassava starch processing season. The Dai Hue Agricultural Cooperative's approach goes beyond simply promoting agricultural products and selling cassava starch; it also supports local people in producing raw materials of the highest quality.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thuc Quang, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dai Hue commune, the Dai Hue Agricultural Cooperative currently has 7 products recognized as 3-star OCOP products. Of these, 3 products made from cassava starch have met the standards for many years, and the cooperative is currently upgrading them to apply for 4-star OCOP recognition.

Besides selling agricultural products to the people of Dai Hue, Mr. Tran Dinh Son's production facility also signs contracts to sell agricultural products to other localities in the province. This includes purchasing fresh turmeric from people in Tam Thai commune through the Youth Volunteer Brigade 9; purchasing ginger and some medicinal herbs such as Polygonum multiflorum from other communes and through local cooperatives.

Over its years of operation, Dai Hue Agricultural Cooperative has not only contributed to the local development of OCOP products, but has also created jobs and income for many households, enriching Dai Hue's OCOP product range and promoting the local economy's prosperity.

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In September 2025, Mr. Tran Dinh Son was one of the exemplary advanced individuals in production who had the honor of attending the 2025 Patriotic Emulation Congress of Nghe An province.