Effectively exploiting the potential to develop OCOP products in Nghe An

PV:Could you please tell us how Nghe An has exploited its potential and advantages in developing OCOP products today?

Comrade Vo Thi Nhung:It must be affirmed that, after more than 4 years of implementation, thanks to the drastic participation of the entire political system, the consensus of the people, and the efforts of the OCOP product producers, the "One Commune One Product" (OCOP) Program in Nghe An province has achieved positive and encouraging results; becoming a production movement with widespread influence in rural areas.

The movement has created a new momentum, awakening the potential for agricultural production in localities in the province and has been highly appreciated by the Central Government. Up to now, Nghe An has had 422 products ranked OCOP 3 stars or higher, of which 1 product has reached 5 stars, which is the lantern of Duc Phong Company (Vinh city); 41 products have reached 4 stars and 380 products have reached 3 stars. Nghe An is the second province in the country in terms of the number of recognized star-rated products, only after Hanoi.

The OCOP program is a program for developing the rural economy in the direction of developing internal resources and increasing value; it is a solution and task in implementing the National Target Program on New Rural Development. One of the tasks of the OCOP program is to exploit the potential of land, products, and raw material areas to promote production organization and increase added value for products.

Localities in the province have organized investigations and surveys on land conditions and production areas to promote land accumulation, prioritize investment in infrastructure, and apply science and technology to production. There are many support policies for entities renting land for production and building factories, thereby investing in upgrading, expanding scale, and improving quality to increase product value. Bringing into production crops and livestock with high economic efficiency suitable to land conditions and associated with the planning of raw material areas and culture of each locality to develop OCOP products, for example, growing lotus in Nam Dan district; Pu Mat medicinal herbs in Con Cuong district; tea, peaches, plums, ginger in Ky Son district; peanuts in Dien Chau district; yellow flower tea in Que Phong district; aquatic and seafood products in Cua Lo town, Dien Chau and Quynh Luu districts; Rice, vermicelli, soy sauce, community tourism in Western Nghe An… with many outstanding products have gained a foothold in the market.

In addition, the program has taken advantage of human resources to exploit indigenous cultures, link production, ensure the environment and social security, manage and develop production organization forms. The Agriculture sector has organized many training courses and propaganda about the OCOP program for officials at all levels and subjects.

Through training courses, managers at all levels from district to grassroots and entities have grasped important contents on building, developing and promoting OCOP products. Currently, many entities have gradually built production and business plans, invested in packaging, labels, and developed products based on local labor resources, creating jobs, increasing people's income, preserving landscapes and traditional culture, especially in mountainous and disadvantaged areas. Some entities have had strategies to increase product value, thereby creating a human resource to effectively implement the program.

PV:Promoting OCOP products to domestic and international markets is an important task for the products to reach consumers. Currently,labourHow is this implemented? How does the agricultural sector support the subjects, sir?

Comrade Vo Thi Nhung:Right from the beginning of the program, the sectors, levels and localities have identified the promotion and search for output markets for OCOP products as the key to the program's success. Because the production of goods must reach consumers, must be sold to be truly effective. Trade promotion activities have been interested in by the Agriculture sector, the Nghe An Investment - Trade and Tourism Promotion Center, and the Department of Industry and Trade, and have been implemented in a variety of forms, including promoting the application of digital technology in communication, promoting the development of e-commerce for OCOP products through e-commerce platforms.

Some of the province's OCOP product promotion activities in recent times, specifically: The province and its sectors regularly organize delegations to explore the market, promote products, sign contracts, and connect consumption with functional agencies working on trade, corporations, distributors, supermarkets, and chain stores in the provinces.

Up to now, Nghe An province has signed cooperation and consumption programs with many provinces and cities across the country, especially provinces and cities with large consumption markets, such as: Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang...; signed contracts to consume Nghe An province's agricultural products with corporations, distributors, supermarkets, and convenient food store chains, such as: WinCommerce, Winmart+, Mega Markit, BigC, Lotte, SiBA food,...

Since then, many agricultural products of Nghe An province have been consumed stably in the markets of these provinces and food consumption chains. Organizing participation in fairs, introducing agricultural products in domestic markets, such as: Week of introducing and promoting agricultural, forestry and fishery products of Nghe An at major commercial centers in Hanoi, with dozens of display booths that are of great interest to people; organizing for production and processing establishments to participate in fairs in provinces and cities such as: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Quang Ninh, Thua Thien Hue...

The subjects have participated in displaying products at more than 69 fairs; 50 supply-demand connection conferences and displayed in a number of specialized conferences; the whole province has built 17 OCOP sales points in localities...

In 2022, 12 fairs were organized and participated in, with the participation of 128 agricultural product production establishments. In May 2023, the province successfully organized the Forum connecting the consumption of regional agricultural products nationwide in Nghe An.

At the 60th anniversary of Vinh city, there were 60 booths introducing and promoting OCOP products, typical and typical products of the province, attracting many consumers to participate in shopping. Supporting agricultural, forestry and fishery production and processing establishments to promote product consumption through e-commerce channels, signing agreements on agricultural product consumption on the VOSO.VN e-commerce platform of Viettel Group; postmart.vn e-commerce platform of Vietnam Post Corporation; and currently connecting agricultural product consumption on the TikTok platform.

In 2022, the Nghe An e-commerce trading floor (nghean37.com.vn) of the Department of Industry and Trade supported 21 districts, cities and towns to open district-level booths, with more than 300 featured, typical products, OCOP products... posted. Supported more than 470 businesses and traders to register as members and set up booths; attracted over 9.2 million visits; introduced and offered 3,723 products and services...

Through trade promotion activities, Nghe An province's OCOP products have gradually reached consumers, known and used by consumers inside and outside the province as well as internationally. Currently, there are more than 20 OCOP product manufacturing facilities that have signed the principle of bringing products into a number of large distribution systems, 268 OCOP products have been brought into supermarkets, online sales channels, direct interactive sales (livestream) such as: Pu Mat medicinal tea, lotus products of Sen Que Bac Cooperative, Do Luong rice paper, Dien Chau lotus peanuts, Quynh and Cua Lo sea and seafood, Nam Dan veal ham...

Many OCOP products of Nghe An province have been exported to international markets such as Duc Phong rattan and bamboo products (5 stars) have been exported to markets in countries such as France, Germany...; Dien Thai coriander (Dien Chau) has been exported to the Korean and Japanese markets; Van Phan fish sauce products (Dien Chau) have been exported to Japan; Eel products (NAP) have been exported to Australia and Japan; Bien Quynh aquatic and seafood products have been exported to the US...

PV:In the near future, does the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development have any new policies for the OCOP program, sir?

Comrade Vo Thi Nhung:In order to facilitate the implementation of the OCOP Program in the whole province, in the coming time, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will coordinate with relevant departments, branches and People's Committees of districts, cities and towns to continue promoting propaganda, mobilization, inspection, urging and guiding the subjects to effectively implement the OCOP Program. Advise on integrating resources to help the subjects innovate technology, improve designs, packaging, improve quality, etc.

Advise the Provincial People's Committee to allocate additional resources to implement Resolution No. 25/2020/NQ-HDND dated December 13, 2020 of the Provincial People's Council stipulating a number of policies to support the implementation of the "One Commune One Product" (OCOP) Program in Nghe An province, period 2021-2025. Review to continue perfecting policies suitable for the new period, including prioritizing the development of local raw material areas; training human resources; promoting, introducing and promoting trade; supporting access to credit sources; organizing the assessment, classification and monitoring of OCOP products.

PV:Thank you comrade!