Pioneer in developing OCOP products

According to the Provincial Cooperative Union, developing cooperatives associated with OCOP products plays a very important role in the process of transforming agricultural production thinking into agricultural economics. With flexibility, proactiveness, and sensitivity to grasp the market, many agricultural cooperatives in the province have OCOP products, meeting the needs of customers as well as linking production, consuming raw materials, and increasing income for people.

Hoa Dong Agricultural Service Cooperative (Tay Hoa district) is one of the pioneering cooperatives in building products that meet OCOP standards. Currently, the cooperative has 3 products processed from lotus that have met 3-star OCOP standards. This not only affirms and enhances the lotus brand of the cooperative but also contributes to increasing prestige and strengthening consumer confidence. According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Minh, Director of this cooperative, in the past, local people mainly grew lotus to sell to traders, so the output was quite unstable. Grasping the mechanisms and policies to support linkages along the value chain in the production and consumption of agricultural products, the cooperative has successfully built a lotus growing model, linking from production to on-site processing, bringing double efficiency and creating high and stable income for farmers.

“The cooperative is completing documents to upgrade lotus seed powder products to 4-star OCOP and continue to build and develop other products processed from lotus; at the same time, it is converting and expanding the lotus growing area, striving to increase the lotus growing area in the whole commune to 40 hectares by the end of 2025,” Mr. Minh added.

Successful with the Hoa Vang fragrant rice brand achieving 3-star OCOP, in recent times, An Nghiep Agricultural Cooperative (Tuy An district) has always been a bright spot for other cooperatives to learn from in supporting members to develop the value chain from production, processing to product consumption.

Mr. Tran Tan Khoa, Director of this Cooperative, said: Building a chain of links and having commercial products has helped the Cooperative gain a foothold in the market and expand production cooperation relationships. Now, not only do people trust, but many partners also seek to cooperate in consuming products with the Cooperative. Currently, the Cooperative continues to implement the production linkage model, creating 2 new products: Hoa Vang fragrant rice and Hoa Vang brown rice with Huyet Rong rice variety to be recognized as OCOP products.

Step up implementation

After 5 years of implementing the OCOP Program, the whole province currently has 389 OCOP products with 3-4 stars. However, the units that have achieved OCOP product certification in the province are mostly enterprises and family businesses; the number of cooperatives with OCOP products is very small. According to statistics from the Provincial New Rural Area Coordination Office, there are currently only more than 20 cooperatives and cooperative groups with products participating in the OCOP Program. This number is really too small compared to the current potential of the cooperatives in operation.

According to many cooperatives, the development of OCOP products from cooperatives is facing some difficulties. Specifically, in the process of implementing the OCOP Program, cooperatives must expand production, change technology, have value chain linkages and need large capital. However, most cooperatives are currently small-scale, accessing credit capital, linking along the value chain, and product output still face many difficulties.

With a set of detailed and comprehensive product classification criteria and guidance from the authorities, cooperatives have recognized the strengths and weaknesses of each product, thereby making adjustments, innovations, and perfecting the preliminary processing and production processes in a more scientific manner and having a long-term product development strategy. From the OCOP Program, many cooperatives have promoted their internal strength, innovated both in quality and quantity, affirming the role and significance of the collective economy.

Mr. Dang Kim Ba, Chairman of the Provincial Cooperative Union

On the other hand, the province's cooperative products are very diverse in terms of variety and quantity, but because the cooperatives have not paid attention to design, labeling, packaging and necessary certificates such as: food safety, traceability, intellectual property, etc. Therefore, most of the cooperative's products have not met market requirements, and their competitiveness in the market is low.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hong, Vice Chairman of Dong Hoa Town People's Committee, said: Up to now, Dong Hoa has 34 products achieving 3-star OCOP; including 8 OCOP products of 3 cooperatives. Currently, the cooperatives are continuing to complete their documents and register to participate in the OCOP Program; striving to have 10 more OCOP products recognized in 2025.

According to Mr. Ho Van Nhan, Deputy Chief of the Provincial New Rural Area Coordination Office, cooperatives in the province still have a lot of untapped potential. Many cooperatives have small production scale, weak internal capacity, limited ability to develop production and business, and have not been bold in expanding their industries and diversifying products to suit local advantages and market mechanisms. Many cooperatives have not built brands for their key products, most of which are raw, unprocessed products.

“To improve this situation, in the coming time, the Department of Agriculture will focus on coordinating with relevant departments, sectors and localities to support cooperatives in identifying key products, aiming at production linked to the market, especially focusing on building brands, personal labels, geographical indications and traceability for products. Particularly for cooperatives that already have OCOP products, the unit will create conditions to participate in trade promotion activities, exhibitions, connecting supply and demand of OCOP products in and outside the province. Promote training, develop OCOP products, put OCOP products on e-commerce platforms, support cooperatives in accessing capital to invest in machinery and production equipment, improve product quality…”, Mr. Nhan added.

Source: https://baophuyen.vn/kinh-te/202504/phat-trien-san-pham-ocop-tu-cac-hop-tac-xa-7487ed6/