Following the Prime Minister's Directive No.919/QD-TTg dated August 1, 2022, which approves the One Commune, One Product (OCOP) development scheme for the 2021-2025 period, Hung Yen’s OCOP products are gaining increasing popularity in the market, and have drawn acknowledgement from consumers.

By the end of 2022, Hung Yen had 199 OCOP products, 157 of which gained a 3-star grade and 42 were recognised as 4-star. The province is home to 59 specialised villages, 350 communes, 729 farms, and several large-scale agricultural zones, all of which focus on increasing output and quality.

To encourage production expansion and increase the adoption of advanced technologies, between 2018 and 2022, Hung Yen invested in machinery and technology for 15 development models to support brand building and packaging. The total cost of the project surpassed $119.6 million, with $1.1 million coming from the provincial budget, and the remainder from outside investors.

Longan flower honey products from Hung Yen have become increasingly popular among consumers

For instance, Hung Yen’s honey products were formerly little known in the market due to their ineffective approach to production and sales. However, since 2020, honey products from Tien Chau Commune have been selected as an OCOP product with a three-star rating based on factors like quality control and material quality, among others.

Now, each honey bottle on the market has an OCOP stamp and a QR code which provides more information related to the product, helping to enhance its popularity. Thanks to this new process, the output of the commune has risen from 500kg to 10 tonnes.

Dai Hung commune in Khoai Chau ward is home to four OCOP products, including turmeric powder, turmeric fine powder, peanut oil, and CORRI honey turmeric powder. This is the result of the commune utilising 4.2 hectares of farmland to plant turmeric trees, and transforming from domestic production into a closed production chain leveraging advanced technologies and quality control process.

Hung Yen’s OCOP programme has taken advantage of the province’s abundant potential for speciality products thanks to industrialisation and supply chain management, generating growth in the production of goods with high cultural and traditional value.

According to the Hung Yen Department of Agriculture, there are 180 OCOP-related production models in the province, all of which have high productivity, create stable jobs for the local workforce, and stimulate the region's economy.

Typical 4-star OCOP dried longan products

On April 11, the Hung Yen People’s Committee approved Directive No.843/QD-UBND on the continuation of the OCOP scheme for the 2023-2025 period, with the goal of further exploiting the potential of local agricultural production and sustainably developing the economy.

The province’s target is to develop 70 to 100 more OCOP products by 2025, increasing the total number of at least 3-star OCOP products to 265-280. At least half of these are planned to be sold on a range of e-commerce platforms such as postmart.vn, voso.vn, ketnoiocop.vn, Shopee.vn, Tiki.vn, Lazada.vn, and more.

As the production, quality control, and packaging standards are rigorously set for OCOP products, the province is pushing for all communes to adopt new technologies to contribute to the overall development of the province’s agriculture sector with the goal to be safe, sustainable, and meet VietGap production standards.

The longan products from Hung Yen are favoured by many consumers

Hung Yen has also set targets for production automation, management, and quality control for OCOP products to ensure supply chain transparency and food safety, including linking to the national information portal.

The province supports its local businesses and communes regarding the certification of OCOP products, providing technical support for packaging and ensuring OCOP stamps and certificates are accessible and visible to customers.

As the main driving force behind the province's agricultural development, the OCOP initiative will continue to be it focus in 2023.