OCOP program awakens traditional craft villages' potential

Exploiting the potential associated with OCOP

Tay Ninh has long been famous for many traditional craft villages, with 22 recognized occupations, 1 craft village and 8 traditional craft villages. Among them, many traditional occupations and craft villages have existed for dozens, even hundreds of years, becoming a typical cultural feature in people's lives.

In addition, the whole province has 391 OCOP products, including many products of traditional occupations such as incense, rice paper, chili salt, etc. Since the OCOP program was implemented in the province, traditional occupations and craft villages have had the opportunity to expand production, improve product quality and access a large market.

Tourists visit and shop for traditional products that meet OCOP standards in Tay Ninh province

OCOP products from traditional occupations and craft villages are strongly promoted through trade fairs, contributing to building sustainable new rural areas and developing the local economy.

Tay Ninh rice paper has long been chosen by many tourists to buy as gifts for relatives and friends when coming to Tay Ninh. To gradually bring Tay Ninh rice paper products further, many establishments have proactively modernized their production lines to increase productivity and ensure food hygiene and safety. In particular, Trang Bang rice paper has been certified as a 4-star OCOP product; Tan Nhien Company's super thin rice paper has been certified as 5-star OCOP product, etc. These products have affirmed their brand and reputation in the international market.

Mr. Dang Khanh Duy - Director of Tan Nhien Company (Long Hoa ward) said that the company considers product quality as the most important criterion. Thanks to participating and achieving 5-star OCOP, the amount of rice paper consumed has increased and has been exported to China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, etc.

“Being recognized as 5-star OCOP product standards not only helps rice paper gain more trust and choice from consumers, but the company is also proud to contribute to preserving the cultural values of the locality, traditional crafts, and creating stable income for rural workers” – Mr. Dang Khanh Duy affirmed.

In addition, many other craft villages also consider the OCOP program as a lever for development, such as bamboo and rattan weaving, incense making, chili salt making, etc. The products have been and are being widely consumed in big cities such as Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, exported to a number of markets such as Europe, Korea, etc., creating a stable source of income for hundreds of households.

Developing tourism associated with OCOP

In the province's tourism product development strategy, Tay Ninh focuses on building tourism product brands associated with eco-tourism resources and historical and spiritual relics, imbued with national cultural identity, including promoting OCOP products associated with tourism.

In 2013, the incense making profession was recognized by the Tay Ninh Provincial People's Committee as a traditional profession. Places with incense making are sought after by tourists to capture beautiful photos.

Ms. Le Thi Ngan Tam - Owner of Van Linh Huong incense production facility (Long Hoa ward), one of the production facilities with 3 products certified to meet 4-star OCOP standards, said that in addition to production and expanding the market to other provinces, in the future, when the facility has sufficient conditions and is ready, it hopes to welcome tourist groups. Through sightseeing and tourism, tourists can witness the incense making process and better understand the incense products of Tay Ninh province. Through that, the facility can promote product consumption.

Van Linh Huong Incense Production Facility (Long Hoa Ward) is one of the attractions to experience Tay Ninh's traditional craft

In addition, in order to promote and consume OCOP products, many support policies of the province are currently being implemented, focusing on promoting trade and promoting products, introducing them on e-commerce sites; building display and sales points for OCOP products; organizing fairs to promote and connect trade of OCOP products to consumers, etc.

Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment - Nguyen Dinh Xuan said: "The number of tourists coming to Tay Ninh is increasing day by day and they want to buy special products for their own use or as gifts. Therefore, the province needs to have stalls specializing in selling Tay Ninh products, including OCOP products, to introduce to tourists to both increase the value and promote the image of typical local products".

Despite great development potential, traditional occupations and craft villages in Tay Ninh still face many challenges, from market competition, lack of high-quality human resources to environmental protection during the production process. Therefore, the province needs more policies to support craft villages, contributing to preserving, conserving and developing traditional occupations, and improving competitiveness in the market./.

By Vu Nguyet - Translated by Q. Thien

Source: https://baolongan.vn/chuong-trinh-ocop-danh-thuc-tiem-nang-lang-nghe-truyen-thong-a198517.html