Developing OCOP products in the value chain

According to the Central Coordination Office for New Rural Development, after three years of carrying out the OCOP Program (2018 - 2020), 72% of more than 6,000 OCOP products nationwide are recognized as 3-star class or higher (1.86 times higher than the target). Currently, more than 145 OCOP products are effectively made from local raw materials and labeled geographical indications, including Shan Tuyet Hoang Su Phi tea of Ha Giang province, Tan Cuong tea of Thai Nguyen province, coffee of Son La province, and rice of Soc Trang province and An Giang province. Some corporations and supermarkets have placed orders to buy OCOP products for their distribution systems where OCOP sales are stable.

The Bac Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the Provincial People's Committee licensed 22 OCOP products in the first phase of 2021, including 10 four-star products and 12 three-star products. The province also created three geographical indications, four certified brands, 60 collective brands and hundreds of common brands, categorized in 52 groups of products. To make the OCOP Program more practical and effective, the province funded nearly VND74 billion to 68 agricultural cooperatives for building warehouses, processors, transportation and irrigation facilities needed for production.

Kon Tum province also has 88 three-star or higher-ranked OCOP products, including one 5-star item: DAKMARK roasted and ground coffee in Dak Ha district. In 2021 - 2025, Kon Tum targets to have 10 national OCOP products. In 2021 alone, it will have 60 three-star or higher OCOP products. 

Boosting digital transformation

OCOP product criteria created in response to the Prime Minister's Decision 1048/QD-TTg require that producers of OCOP products must present solutions for environmental protection (waste treatment) when they carry out production and environmental protection options and, at the same time, make environmental protection commitments/assessment of environmental impacts or garbage collection plans.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tien, Director of the Central Coordination Office for New Rural Development, said that the program continues to be a key solution to accelerate sustainable and effective rural economic development, and synchronously carries out the following prioritized measures: Launching policies and solutions to improve product quality and production, processing and marketing capacity along the OCOP value chain; prioritizing the development of advantageous products to uphold regional identity. In the new context, stepping up digital transformation application and promoting the circular economy is the goal set by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the OCOP Program in the 2021-2025 period, in which investment in infrastructure and digital transformation is considered a launching pad for OCOP products in the next five years.

By 2025, the program will strive to have at least 10,000 five-star or higher certified OCOP products, with at least 400 - 500 products assigned a five-star class; have at least 30% of OCOP producers capable of building their own circular value chains, with priority given to ranked products.

The program will also prioritize developing cooperatives and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with at least 40% of OCOP producers being cooperatives and 30% of OCOP producers being enterprises. At least 50% of traditional handicraft villages have OCOP products and at least 50% of OCOP producers sell their products to modern sales channels. International cooperation forums for each village and commune will be held at least once a year in order to enhance and affirm the Vietnam OCOP brand in domestic and international markets.