Hạ Quyên coconut candy production facility in Đông Hòa Town, Phú Yên Province, speeds up production for Tết. VNA/VNS Photo

CẦN THƠ With just over two weeks left until the Lunar New Year (Tết), OCOP product manufacturers are still ramping up production activities to keep pace with customer orders.

Many Tết gift baskets highlight products associated with the Mekong Delta, and producers are focusing on new designs and diversifying styles to attract consumers.

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta city of Cần Thơ currently has 148 products recognised as OCOP three stars or higher, from businesses, cooperatives and producers.

For this year's Tết holidays, besides OCOP products from other provinces, the Mekong Delta Specialties store has selected many OCOP products from Ninh Kiều District, Cần Thơ City, to include in Tết gift baskets to fill customers' requests.

Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Hân, a seller at the Mekong Delta Specialty store in Cần Thơ City, said that OCOP products were all certified to ensure food safety and hygiene, with barcodes, codes and traceability stamps, collective marks and certification marks, giving them a unique position on the market.

At this time, the demand for specialty products at the specialty store has increased by about 10-20 per cent compared to normal days and is expected to continue to grow in the days leading up to Tết.

Currently, in addition to traditional sales channels, OCOP products are also introduced and promoted on social networking platforms and e-commerce sites to meet a variety of customer needs.

Tết is the biggest shopping occasion of the year for consumers. This is an opportunity for businesses and establishments to expand production and increase revenue. This also creates more jobs and improves income for workers.

OCOP certified products have increasingly built trust among customers who choose to use and give them as gifts.

Tết gifts from OCOP products are also a channel to promote and introduce local OCOP products. Thanks to that, product brands are also extending their reach.

Many production facilities and display points of OCOP products in the central province of Phú Yên are bustling with trade right now. Consumers pay attention to products of clear origins, and items with unique marks that are eco-friendly and have reasonable prices.

Nguyễn Đức Thắng, Director of the Sub-Department of Rural Development under the Phú Yến Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that before the Lunar New Year, the province organised exhibition and product introduction events to support OCOP manufacturers seeking market access opportunities, while at the same time promoting the supply of goods during Tết at supermarkets, points of sale, and introducing OCOP products in the area.

According to Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Phú Yên Province Đặng Thị Thủy, the local agricultural sector co-ordinated with relevant agencies and units to bring OCOP products to participate in digital transformation to seek and open domestic and foreign consumption markets.

Enterprises, cooperatives and OCOP production facilities in Ninh Thuận Province are also stepping up production to boost output, and improving product quality and design to meet consumer demand for Tết gifts.

In order to reach many potential customer segments, this year the provincial Young Entrepreneurs Association has created and designed eye-catching and luxurious OCOP Tết gift baskets that attract customers' attention.

Cao Thị Diệu Nữ, Chief of Office of the Young Entrepreneurs Association of Ninh Thuận Province, said that the association has connected with 34 manufacturers that have OCOP products and specific products in the area with about 200 different products to put in its gift baskets.

To bring OCOP products to consumers, Ninh Thuận Province is promoting links to get products into supermarkets, convenience store chains, and the e-commerce trading floor of the province at the website sanphamninhthuan.vn.

It also supports businesses and production establishments to participate in domestic and foreign e-commerce exchanges such as Alibaba, Amazon, Lazada, Tiki, Sendo, Shopee, Voso and Postmart.

To date, the whole province has more than 300 products from 92 units; of which, 123 OCOP products of 50 businesses and establishments were supported to be listed on e-commerce platforms.