Que Phong strongly develops OCOP products

Build products from existing potential

Que Phong district is known as the "capital" of the forested cypress tree growing in vast forests in the communes of Thong Thu, Dong Van, Tien Phong... Every year, local ethnic people have a significant source of income from harvesting cypress.

Taking advantage of the raw material source, some people in Que Phong district have made high-value woven products, including the product "5-compartment candy tray and five-fruit tray woven with woven fiber" by Mr. Luong Van Mao, in Na Cong village, Muong Noc commune, which is favored by the market and participated in the OCOP scoring.

Mr. Luong Van Mao said that, realizing that woven products are increasingly popular with consumers, with his skills, in 2022, he started producing items woven with bamboo fibers: lanterns, paper boxes, sticky rice baskets, candy trays, fruit trays... The products are becoming more and more beautiful, the number of sales is increasing, of which the most impressive are the 5-compartment candy trays and fruit trays, which are not only popular in the district and provincial markets, but also sought after by customers from other provinces, through sales channels on social networking sites, websites, fairs...

Each product from the lung tree is made from 2 main materials: lung fiber and xoan wood, or mixed wood that is not susceptible to termites. Lung fiber is used for weaving, wood is used to make the frame. All materials are dried and steamed to increase durability (lung trees must be 2 years old or older to be mature and durable enough). Each finished product is sprayed with PU paint to increase aesthetics.

“The reason I chose the 2 products of 5-compartment candy tray and 5-fruit tray to participate in the OCOP scoring is because I noticed that the market mainly sells these products made of plastic, ceramic, glass, etc. While the product is woven with environmentally friendly bamboo rope and carries the cultural beauty of the Western Nghe An region. Currently, bamboo rope materials are abundant locally, this direction creates jobs for many workers, while the consumption market is good, so this product has the potential to develop further,” Mr. Mao shared.

Ethnic minorities in Que Phong also utilize the potential of leaves in the forest to make traditional medicine, or to process yeast. The yeast wine distilled by the Thai people here has its own flavor. At the yeast wine production facility of Ms. Lang Thi Giang in Tay Son block, Kim Son town, there are always dozens of earthenware jars containing finished wine.

Ms. Giang shared: With the desire to create a safe wine product that meets customer needs, since the end of 2019, we have invested in building a factory to produce wine according to a one-way closed process and build the Muong Quang leaf yeast wine brand. At the same time, the wine is produced according to traditional secrets. The raw materials for making wine are locally grown sticky rice; self-produced yeast is made from leaves taken from the forest, dried, pounded into powder, and mixed with sticky rice flour. Muong Quang leaf yeast wine product becomes an OCOP product in 2021.

In addition to using traditional wine making secrets, to optimize the process and improve product quality, Ms. Lang Thi Giang's yeast wine production facility has invested in a modern equipment system such as: rice cookers, fermentation tanks...

In addition, a different step in the wine production process in the new technology that the facility is applying compared to the traditional wine making method is the use of a wine detoxification machine. Accordingly, after distillation, wine will be put into this machine to remove many harmful toxins such as: Aldehyde, Methanol, Esters...

To build a brand in the market and create OCOP products, the facility also pays special attention to investing in packaging design and product models. Currently, the facility's yeast wine is bottled, fully labeled, traceable in origin and ensures food safety. On average, each year, Ms. Lang Thi Giang's yeast wine production facility produces and consumes about 10,000 liters of wine in many provinces and cities.

Continue to build advantageous products

The border district of Que Phong has many advantages to develop OCOP products. These are specialties such as black pig, Mong beef, black chicken, Japonica rice, Khau Cay Noi sticky rice, yellow flower tea, Quy cinnamon, Quy duck, etc.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Hien - Head of the District's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said: In recent years, Que Phong has focused on implementing the "One Commune One Product" (OCOP) Program. As of early December, the district has had 4 products achieving OCOP stars: Kim Son Golden Flower Tea; Tien Phong Dong Dong Wine; Muong Quang Leaf Fermented Wine; Cuong Hoai Sour Meat. Que Phong's OCOP products have all affirmed their reputation and brand in the market.

In the coming years, Que Phong will guide localities to develop a number of products, including Japonica rice in Tri Le and Nam Giai communes and indigenous black chicken in some communes. Products such as yellow flower tea, sour meat, etc. have also brought into play their advantages. OCOP products have shown that they not only solve product output problems for effective and sustainable development, increasing income for workers, but also contribute to promoting the image of Que Phong border area.