Product quality is the key factor

According to the Office of National Target Program Coordination, Hau Giang province currently has 266 key products recognized as meeting provincial OCOP standards. Of these, 92 products meet 4-star OCOP standards, the rest are 3-star OCOP products.

Hau Giang province identifies agriculture and tourism as two of the four pillars of the economy . On that basis, the province has synchronously implemented the program of developing agricultural and rural tourism in the construction of new rural areas in the period of 2021 - 2025. At the same time, set competition targets for each locality to identify typical products; invest in machinery, equipment and improve product packaging design to ensure meeting market demand.

Mr. Truong Canh Tuyen, Permanent Vice Chairman of Hau Giang Provincial People's Committee

Recently, the OCOP Product Evaluation and Classification Council of Long My town recognized 9 more OCOP products in 2024. The Council recognized 8 products with 3 stars including: Dien Long pickled fish, Dien Long fish sauce of Dien Long Agricultural Service Cooperative, in Hamlet 7, Long Tri A Commune; snakehead fish marinated with lemongrass and chili, snakehead fish marinated with Thai spices, tilapia marinated with lemongrass and chili, tilapia marinated with Thai spices, striped snakehead fish marinated with lemongrass and chili, striped snakehead fish marinated with Thai spices of Natural Food VINA Trading and Service Co., Ltd., Area 2, Tra Long Ward. Of which, there is 1 product of melon of Mekong Delta Hung Thinh Agricultural Cooperative, Binh Thanh B Area, Binh Thanh Ward, which was evaluated and classified by the Long My Town Product Evaluation and Classification Council and submitted to the Provincial Product Evaluation and Classification Council for evaluation and classification, and was classified as 4 stars.

Thus, after nearly 4 years of implementing the OCOP Program, up to now, Long My town has 45 OCOP products with 3 to 4 star quality. Many OCOP products are not only consumed locally, but also distributed in supermarket chains in the province and the region; this shows that OCOP products of Long My town have created trust with consumers in terms of quality.

A typical example is the seasoned snakehead fish product of Mr. Vo Dinh Chien's family, Vinh Tuong ward, Long My town - the first unit to have a product recognized as a provincial OCOP product 3 years ago. Thanks to investment in modern machinery and equipment, the quantity of products consumed by Mr. Chien's family increased 2-3 times.

Currently, OCOP products of Hau Giang province are present in most provinces and cities across the country through a number of large sales systems, supermarkets... Some products have been and are being exported to international markets such as EU, Hong Kong; Korea... According to the assessment, most of OCOP products of Hau Giang province are certified with appropriate quality standards such as: ISO, VietGAP, GlobalGAP, GMP... Along with increasingly advanced production and processing technology, OCOP entities have applied many modern machines and equipment in production, innovated designs, packaging, product labels... Thereby, creating products that both ensure quality and are highly aesthetic, creating trust for consumers.

Linking along the value chain, increasing product added value

Up to now, Hau Giang province has formed and developed more than 20 agricultural - rural tourism spots associated with the consumption of OCOP products. Coming to these tourist spots, visitors will visit fruit gardens, livestock farms, production processes at the facility, and experience gardening. In addition, visitors can participate in folk entertainment games, enjoy cuisine with many local specialties; buy OCOP products as souvenirs. This contributes to creating unique tourism products, both meeting the tastes of tourists and increasing income for people.

Mr. Truong Canh Tuyen, Permanent Vice Chairman of Hau Giang Provincial People's Committee shared: Hau Giang province identifies agriculture and tourism as two of the four pillars of the economy. On that basis, the province has synchronously implemented the program of developing agricultural - rural tourism in the construction of new rural areas in the period of 2021 - 2025. At the same time, set competition targets for each locality to identify typical products; invest in machinery, equipment and improve product packaging design to ensure meeting market demand.

In the coming time, the Steering Committee for National Target Programs of Hau Giang province will promote the application of science and technology, innovation and improvement of processing technology. The province will review and develop standards and regulations for OCOP products to meet the regulations of the domestic and export markets. Promote the application of solutions on protection and effective exploitation of intellectual property values ​​such as geographical indications, collective trademarks, and certification marks for OCOP products.

Along with that, the province focuses on trade promotion activities, attracting investment in rural production development, effectively implementing the Project on restructuring the agricultural sector towards concentrated goods, specialized cultivation, linking value chains, increasing the competitiveness of OCOP products in the market. Forming OCOP product trading centers in localities to distribute and sell products, solving output problems. Supporting localities that do not have recognized products, entities to complete documents to re-recognize products that are about to expire.