A safe vegetable production area in Hanoi 

Enhancing the value of Hanoi’s agricultural products

The approach to agricultural production in the new period must be linked to large-scale commodity production and sufficient investment for processing to ensure sustainable market access. Accordingly, localities across the city have concentrated on planning and forming many specialized farming areas for high-value crops such as durian, mango, red-fleshed dragon fruit, pepper and cocoa. Many of these areas meet VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards, follow organic farming practices, apply high technologies and obtain farming area codes that meet export standards.

In conjunction with the new rural development program, localities have mobilized and allocated resources on infrastructure investment comprising roads, power grid and irrigation systems for production. As a result, large-scale farming areas based on local strengths have taken shape. In particular, developing OCOP products from specialized farming areas by cooperatives has become a key approach that opens up opportunities for value chain-based production, value-added enhancement, and job creation for rural residents.

Van Duc vegetable production-consumption chain, which supplies safe vegetables to supermarkets and collective kitchens; the silk production chain of My Duc Mulberry Silk Company, with a model where silkworms weave quilts, towels and pillows on their own; and the high-quality J02 rice production chain, with 4,000 ha under production-consumption linkage, all illustrate that many cooperatives in the city have actively invested in building specialized crop and livestock farming areas and leveraged strengths of traditional craft villages to develop OCOP products. These models not only create high-quality products but also improve production management capacity, enhance competitiveness and contribute to job creation and income growth for cooperative members.

According to the Hanoi Coordination Office of the New Rural Development Program, the city currently has over 1,330 active agricultural cooperatives and more than 3,300 certified OCOP products, most of which are food items derived from local agricultural products. Additionally, Hanoi has developed many large-scale specialized farming zones, including 40,000 ha of rice, 5,000 ha of safe vegetables, 7,220 ha of aquaculture, and concentrated livestock production in 76 communes. These provide a solid foundation for cooperatives to build closed production chains from raw material zones to processing and consumption - a sustainable path to improve efficiency and ensure output market stability. To date, all communes in the city have established production models linked to key product consumption, with standardized processes and quality maintained across all stages in the chain.

However, urbanization and industrialization are shrinking specialized farming areas. Unstable planning of raw material areas also affects long-term investment plans of cooperatives and partnering businesses. Currently, few agricultural processors in Hanoi are supplied with enough locally sourced raw materials, often having to import from other provinces and cities, which increases costs and quality-related risks.

A specialty rice variety is deliciously cultivated in the city

Scaling up production linkage models

Building agricultural supply and consumption chains is deemed “key” to agricultural restructuring and motivational for successful rural development and socioeconomic growth. Hanoi has also formed many concentrated production areas with renowned specialty products. However, these specialty crop varieties are facing the risk of degradation. Therefore, protecting and developing these varieties is a crucial solution for creating premium OCOP products.

To accelerate this process, Hanoi has issued various policies to encourage businesses, cooperatives and farmers to closely collaborate from production to processing and consumption. At present, the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment is strengthening interregional connectivity in raw material supply by signing cooperation agreements between Hanoi and agriculturally advantaged provinces to ensure a stable, quality, and traceable supply.

Nevertheless, the number of truly sustainable chains remains limited while raw material zones for such chains are still fragmented and unsynchronized. To sustainably develop OCOP products from specialized farming areas, many experts suggest that Hanoi needs to adopt comprehensive solutions like re-planning raw material zones to suit local conditions, prioritizing mulberry cultivation areas for sericulture, and material crop plants for handicrafts (like rattan, bamboo and reeds). At the same time, there is a need to accelerate scientific and technological application to improve crop varieties and enhance productivity and quality.

Hanoi should also invest in preservation, transportation and quality inspection infrastructure at specialized farming areas and craft villages. Establishing centralized material trading centers will help reduce intermediary costs and ensure transparent input quality. In addition, supporting cooperatives to improve management capacity, expand production and strengthen effective links with businesses along the value chain is essential. Support policies must be flexible and tailored to each sector's characteristics, thus creating motivation for businesses to invest in raw material areas.

Developing OCOP products from the specialized farming areas of cooperatives is not only consistent with Party and State policies on sustainable agricultural development but also fundamental to increase income and improve living standards for rural residents in Hanoi. Nonetheless, to fully unlock this potential, long-term strong and coordinated engagement from authorities, businesses, cooperatives and citizens is required. Once the ‘roots’- the raw material zones - are firmly established, the ‘fruition’ of the OCOP Program will undoubtedly spread further in both domestic and international markets.

With its existing potential and strong support from local authorities, Hanoi has many opportunities to vigorously develop OCOP-certified agricultural products. Applying science and technology, promoting innovation, expanding raw material zones, improving product quality and strengthening market connections are key to advancing the OCOP Program, increasing rural incomes and fostering sustainable agricultural economic growth.