Vietnam Fruit and OCOP Product Festival 2022, which took place from May 28 to May 31 in Son La province, is an important event in a series of the Prime Minister's dialogues with farmers nationwide. The program aims to honor fruit growers and promote OCOP product brands. The festival will help Son La and other provinces and cities across the country to meet, exchange and promote their potential and opportunities to develop trade and markets for fruits and OCOP products, domestically and internationally; and contribute to post-COVID socioeconomic recovery and development.

This festival was coupled with a series of continuous and complementary events in an overall program that linked rich, diverse, attractive and meaningful cultural activities and festivals such as a workshop on Building Vietnamese farmer associations and the Vietnamese peasant class amid accelerating industrialization, modernization and international integration to 2030, with a vision to 2045; an exhibition on the agricultural road; an exhibition on fruit and OCOP product in Vietnam; an exhibition on Vietnam's agricultural development achievements; exhibition on Son La socioeconomic development achievements; an exhibition and trade promotion of Vietnamese Northwest goods; and an online exhibition of fruits and OCOP products on an e-commerce platform, Postmart.

At the event, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that after 35 years of Doi Moi (renovation) policy, especially after 15 years of implementing the resolution of the 7th Plenary Meeting of the 10th Party Central Committee on agriculture, farmers and rural areas, there has been much progress in rural areas, industrialization, modernization, material and spiritual life of farmers. The COVID-19 pandemic, which broke out over two years ago, affected all economic and social aspects of the country. In that context, the agricultural sector has shown its role as the backbone of the country's economy and food security. Vietnam has become one of the world's leading exporters of agricultural, forest and aquatic products, raking in more than US$48 billion in 2021. In reality, the effective conversion of inefficient agricultural land to fruit trees has been seen and Son La province is a bright spot in fruit tree development.

The One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program has been carried out nationwide since 2018, with a focus on developing locally advantageous agricultural and non-agricultural products and services. Up to now, the country has had nearly 7,500 OCOP products qualified for three-star or more standards. OCOP products have quickly affirmed their position, well-responded on the market, helped farmers expand production scale, increase product value and improve their spiritual and material life.

The Prime Minister praised the efforts of the Party and authorities from the central to local levels, the dynamism and creativity of farmers to overcome difficulties to achieve these successes.

To effectively develop agriculture and increase agricultural value in the country, including Son La province, the Prime Minister suggested localities and agencies focus on developing agricultural ecosystems and fruit ecosystems, building a green economy and a circular economy in agriculture, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, encouraging entrepreneurship, innovation and digital transformation in agriculture, and diversifying export markets. This is an appropriate strategic approach to boost the potential, strengths, opportunities, and distinct competitive advantages of Son La province and the Northwest region and a step to realize Resolution 11 of the 13th Politburo on socioeconomic development direction, national defense and security in the Northern upland and mountainous area.

In order for the sustainable development of agricultural products, fruits and OCOP products, the Prime Minister directed that there was a need for solving five basic matters: Branding, input planning and development, high-tech organic agricultural development, post-harvest agricultural processing and preservation, capital support, resource diversification, socialized investment, public-private partnership, market development and expansion, and deep participation in domestic and international supply chains.

He believed that, with the tradition of diligence, creativity, active integration into the world plus resolution and intelligence of Vietnamese farmers as well as right and timely policies of the Party and the State, agriculture, farmers and rural areas will further develop.