Nghe An: OCOP products - potential and challenges
(Baonghean.vn) - After a successful year of organization, in 2020, Nghe An continues to have 101 typical products from 16 districts, towns and cities in the province participating in the competition to evaluate and classify provincial OCOP products. Consumers still hope to have more products of outstanding quality certified.
There is still much potential.
On an area of 2 hectares, Ms. Dieu Thuy in Nam Thanh commune, Nam Dan district grows all kinds of old roses. From here, she also applies science and technology to produce new products.rose extract productsproduce products such as rose water, rose tea.
A few years ago, realizing that roses were a popular flower in the market, Ms. Dieu Thuy went to the northern provinces to buy old rose varieties and researched how to care for and propagate the plants for sale. At the same time, she asked experts for support to process the raw flower sources into many beauty products.
Roses are grown by her using completely clean technology. Around the garden, she plants basil, lemongrass, and wildflowers to limit pests. In addition, she buys native roses that are strong, easy to care for, and both fragrant and high quality.
To supply new products to the market, Ms. Thuy established a company to produce rose tea, rose water, rose powder and currently her rose water products sell quite well with reasonable prices. She is also preparing to compete for the typical OCOP product.
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| Some products are extracted from Nam Dan roses. Photo: Lam Tung |
Ms. Hoang Thi Phuong in Hamlet 1, Thai Son Commune, Do Luong District used to work as an accountant at an export company in Hanoi. Having approached many craft villages in Hanoi and realized that the rice paper product had great potential and was widespread, in 2018, Ms. Phuong returned to her hometown and opened a production workshop; the raw materials were carefully selected: Rice was carefully milled, no broken rice was used, and salt had to be pure white dry salt.
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| Many quality products in Nam Dan are preparing to participate in the OCOP product contest. Photo: QA |
Ms. Phuong segments rice paper products into types specifically used for wrapping, frying, salad wrapping, and types used for both frying and salad wrapping.
The products are aimed at improving the quality of products on the market: soft, flexible crust, no preservatives. The rice paper products have been improved in technique, with the support of machinery, so the products are thin, soft, and chewy when rolled. The production processes: soaking rice - grinding rice - making rice paper - drying rice paper - peeling rice paper - packaging are carried out carefully.
Ms. Phuong brought rice paper products to compete in the OCOP product competition this year.
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| Dien Chau's shrimp products compete for the 2020 typical OCOP product contest. Photo: Tran Canh Yen |
Shrimp is the main product of Dien Chau district that is participating in the province's OCOP product this time. The product has a lot of potential but is still consumed domestically. Depending on seafood sources, in 2020 the product faced difficulties due to Covid-19, so production and consumption are even more difficult. However, if there is investment in machinery support, ensuring food safety, investing in full and attractive labels and putting them into consumption through good channels, there will be opportunities to reach a wider range of customers.
Need for higher quality products
The goal of the OCOP program by the end of 2020 is for Nghe An to standardize at least 50% of existing products, equivalent to 90 products. Recently, the Nghe An Department of Rural Development organized a contest for typical rural products in 2020.
Through this assessment and ranking, we aim to encourage economic organizations (enterprises, cooperatives, cooperative groups, production and business households) participating in the OCOP Program to innovate, create, upgrade and perfect products to ensure compliance with the regulations according to the set of criteria for assessing and ranking OCOP products stipulated in Decision 1048/QD-TTg dated August 21, 2019 of the Prime Minister, thereby gradually standardizing and improving product quality to ensure compliance with domestic and international standards.
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| Many customers are interested in Nghe An OCOP products with 3 stars or more at the display booth. Photo: Xuan Hoang |
The provincial OCOP product classification assessment council organizes the assessment.product classificationwith the participation of nearly 110 typical products from 16 districts, cities and towns in the province participating in the 2020 OCOP product ranking competition.
In general, the products participating in this year's ranking competition are rich and diverse in types; the quality of goods, designs, and packaging have been significantly improved compared to 2019, especially with the participation of community tourism villages (Homestay), products associated with the conservation of traditional products of local strengths such as: Ginger, Tuyet Shan Ky Son tea; Tuong Duong beef; Thanh Chuong pickled cucumbers and grapefruit; Quynh Luu seafood; Dien Chau peanuts...
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| Packaging Spirulina products in Quynh Luu. Photo: Thanh Yen |
There are still some shortcomings in the awarding process such as: Some product profiles lack some mandatory procedures such as product idea registration form, product registration, business plan, business registration certificate, sample products. In addition, some products lack some supporting documents, there is no consistency between the product name and the uses stated on the packaging, the labels are not consistent, even there are violations, lack of product quality control, environmental control, product quality declaration, periodic inspection of food safety indicators, organization of management and operation apparatus, QR code, traceability.
In addition, some products still lack brand protection, product stories have not been documented on labels or leaflets on the website, have not yet highlighted the local intellectual identity, the story structure is still simple and incomplete... so the number of products achieving high stars is very small.
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| Thien Son oranges achieve global export certification. Photo: Xuan Hoang |
The organizational apparatus for implementing the OCOP Program at the provincial and district levels has been formed and gradually put into operation; many documents have been promptly issued to direct, manage and implement the Program. Especially, there has been consensus and response from production entities. Propaganda and training on the program has been promoted.
The third achievement is the determination of businesses and households to become reputable and branded producers and traders. The reform of administrative procedures from management to support has created conditions for production establishments to invest and expand, creating an open production and business environment.
The OCOP program is still being strongly implemented and requires the participation of local party committees and authorities to join hands in developing typical local products. This year, there is still a lack of high-quality products that have been systematically invested in with the support of new science and technology, and there are still potential products that have not been entered into the competition.
