Strengthening promotion and finding outlets for OCOP products

Increase supply-demand connection

Nghe An currently has 567 OCOP products rated 3 stars or higher, of which 1 product is rated 5 stars, 37 products are rated 4 stars and 529 products are rated 3 stars.
The whole province has 110 cooperatives, 59 joint stock companies, enterprises, 55 cooperative groups and 122 households producing and trading OCOP products.

However, the consumption of OCOP products is still not really sustainable. Many products depend entirely on time and season. For example, near Tet, many products sell very well, but around mid-year, consumption is difficult, and there is a lot of inventory.

Besides, some raw materials also depend on the season, so there is a situation of "when there are customers, there is not enough stock", and when there is a surplus of stock, there is a shortage of customers.

Nam Dan soy sauce is an example. Due to limited production capacity, businesses do not dare to expand their market to the northern provinces, and cannot bring their products to supermarkets because they often cannot meet orders. That is why soy sauce consumption depends almost entirely on traders, eateries, and restaurants in the area.

Not only Nam Dan soy sauce but many other OCOP products are also facing difficulties due to lack of outlets. Identifying that need, based on the assigned tasks, the Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion has regularly coordinated with the Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion of the provinces to cooperate, exchange, and organize trade fairs to connect supply and demand.

Many fairs in Vinh city have attracted goods from dozens of provinces and cities across the country, thereby helping businesses sign many valuable contracts. For example, the 2023 and 2024 Spring Fairs in Vinh city and Do Luong district have displayed and strongly consumed regional specialties of the districts.

Nghe An has also organized activities to promote and consume typical products and OCOP products of the province in Hanoi, Quang Ninh, Nghe An; Connecting the consumption of products of the provinces: Lao Cai, Da Nang, Tien Giang; Organizing many Vietnamese goods markets in Que Phong and Anh Son districts...

According to the report, the revenue of OCOP products increases by about 8.0% annually. Up to now, 94/562 OCOP products have entered the supply chain system, the system of food stores, department stores, and points of introduction and sale of OCOP products. Some agricultural products have found stable export markets such as: Tea buds have a stable market in West Asian countries; fish sauce products are consumed in Laos, Japan, Korea and some products from peanuts, rattan and bamboo have been exported to demanding markets such as: France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, USA, Japan, etc.

Promote e-commerce support

Online shopping and digital platforms are becoming popular. A current production facility will hardly be successful without participating in e-commerce platforms. This requires commercial platforms managed by state agencies to truly innovate, become professional promotion channels, and help businesses and business establishments access the market.

The Provincial People's Council has also passed a resolution to support the construction of websites, e-commerce sites, and support businesses to participate in e-commerce trading floors. Businesses are also exempted from advertising fees on the trading floors of the Department of Industry and Trade, the Department of Rural Development, etc.

According to the Department of Industry and Trade, the industry has supported nearly 500 businesses and traders to register for e-commerce platforms to introduce and offer more than 3,700 products and services. Many products such as golden flower tea, Nghe An tea, Solanum procumbens tea, Gynostemma pentaphyllum, Gymnema sylvestre, herbal rice tea, Van Phan fish sauce, Cua Hoi fish sauce, Dien Chau shrimp, Quynh Luu squid, Cua Lo grilled mackerel, Japonica rice, Ky Son ginger, Mu Tun wine, Puxailaileng ginseng, AC5 rice, Tay Hieu honey, Yen Thanh honey, Spirulina, organic vegetables, Nam Anh tapioca starch... have participated in e-commerce at different levels and have many prospects.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Loi - Director of the Provincial Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion said: In the coming time, Nghe An will organize and participate in the program of linking and promoting trade with provinces and cities across the country; taking advantage of the support of central agencies and units for national trade programs, especially trade connection activities between enterprises, distributors, and importers at home and abroad.

Strengthen support for connecting supply and demand for product consumption, focus on exploiting the domestic market; promote propaganda and guidance for businesses to promote advantages to expand import and export markets, diversify partners and goods sources.

In addition, the province has implemented activities to support the building and development of product brands for businesses to bring some typical products of the province such as OCOP products, science and technology products, with commercial value and consumption at the system of supermarkets and commercial centers in and outside the province.

The Center and sectors will also promote the application of information technology and digital transformation in trade promotion activities such as effectively implementing Business Support Applications and e-commerce websites to introduce and provide key products and typical products of Nghe An province; Providing support services for businesses to find and develop product consumption markets associated with regional linkages.