OCOP program: Local agricultural products raised their level

Developing key agricultural products of each locality

Defining OCOP as one of the important programs, contributing to accelerating the restructuring of the agricultural sector as well as promoting internal resources and increasing the value of local agricultural products, the program creates conditions for localities to well implement the program.

Over the time of implementation, up to now, the province has 26 products that have been evaluated and recognized as meeting OCOP standards, including 18 4-star products and 8 3-star products, especially 4 qualified products are preparing documents and procedures to submit to the Central Committee to recognize the National 5-star OCOP products.

Through this program, localities and farmers have become aware of the superiority of products that meet the local OCOP standards. Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development - Dinh Thi Phuong Khanh affirmed: “The OCOP Program is important not only in Long An but also in most localities in the country.

This is a program to promote the potential and strengths of each locality, contributing to improving and raising incomes for farmers and communities. This is considered an important content to contribute to fulfilling the criteria of income in new-style rural construction in the locality. And now, the participants are aware of the importance of the OCOP Program, so they register to participate confidently”.

Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development - Dinh Thi Phuong Khanh (2nd, L) inspects and appraises products registered for the OCOP program

Taking advantage of local resources, PURE Trading and Production Company Limited (Thu Thua district) has launched the product "Con Yeu Melaleuca oil", with 100 percent pure essential oil of Melaleuca tree in Long An land. Over the years, the product has been well received and trusted by the market. Notably, this product has just been recognized by the Provincial People's Committee and rated 4-star OCOP product. It was a chance in a trip in Long An that director of PURE Production Trading Co., Ltd - Nguyen Quoc Vu realized that Long An has a lot of melaleuca trees, the main medicinal plant to extract Melaleuca essential oil, so he decided to choose this place to set up the second production base of the company, after Quang Tri province. Director of PURE Production Trading Co., Ltd - Nguyen Quoc Vu shared: “On the basis of the company's factory, we have developed a new factory in Thu Thua district. Here, the available materials should easily meet medical standards, thereby it helps the products gain more customers' trust".

With modern equipment, machinery, and existing human resources, each year, the company markets about 10,000 bottles of Melaleuca oil, 100 milliliters per bottle. Currently, the factory's maximum capacity can reach 1 million bottles per year, if there are enough raw materials. In addition to cajeput essential oil, the company also produces 9 other product lines from nature and is very well received by the market.

The OCOP program contributes to raising the level of local agricultural products

Can Giuoc is known as a famous vegetable growing area of the province, in which mainly leafy vegetables and spices. According to many businesses, leafy vegetables, especially spices grown in Can Giuoc district, have a very specific taste. Currently, the whole district has over 1,800 hectares specializing in vegetable cultivation, the yield is about 22 tons per hectare per crop, the output is estimated at over 125,000 tons per year. This is one of the advantages to building OCOP products.

Director of the Agricultural, Production, Trade and Service Cooperative Phuoc Thinh (Phuoc Hau Commune, Can Giuoc District) - Dang Duy Dung shared: “Thanks to the support of the Agriculture sector at all levels, now Currently, Phuoc Thinh's leafy vegetables group (lettuce, perilla, basil) has been evaluated and recognized as a 3-star OCOP product. Since being recognized as meeting OCOP standards, the leafy vegetable group of Phuoc Thinh Cooperative has increasingly affirmed its brand and increased its competitiveness in the market; At the same time, it has apppeared in the supermarket system and Bach Hoa Xanh”.

For a long time, many people used to use moringa leaves to cook soup, but Mr. Pham Ngoc Anh Tuan - Director of Nha Vuon One Member Company Limited, skillfully processed moringa into many products such as moringa tea, Moringa powder, Moringa porridge, etc. contribute to raising the level of local agricultural products and creating jobs and increasing incomes for people. Not only stopping at creating typical local products, Mr. Tuan also strongly prepared documents and procedures to participate in the province's OCOP program. As a result, up to now, Mr. Tuan's moringa tea products have been recognized to meet OCOP standards.

Keeping up the effort

Besides the achieved results, the implementation of the OCOP Program in the province still faces many difficulties. Specifically, some people are not aware of the benefits and meaning of the program, are afraid to do the documents and procedures to participate in the program; Some localities have not paid due attention, have not created conditions for people to participate in the OCOP program, etc.

Particularly in 2021, the Covid-19 epidemic has greatly affected the organization and implementation of the province's OCCP program, it is difficult to implement the training, guiding and propagandizing the OCOP program; Trade promotion (organization and participation in trade fairs to promote and introduce OCOP products) is almost impossible to implement.

In addition, production and trade establishments face many difficulties in production and consumption of OCOP products, the price of raw materials increases, leading to increased production costs and a shortage of production workers.

Currently, Long An has 26 OCOP standard products

Despite facing many difficulties, with many products, OCOP has affirmed its brand and reputation in the market and is trusted by consumers. As a result, many production and trade establishments in the province boldly participated in the program for the purpose of introducing and promoting local products and images. For example, Dong Thap Muoi Pharmaceutical and Pharmaceutical Research and Development Joint Stock Company registered to participate in 6 products including MELAROMA room spray; Vietnam Moc Hoa cajeput oil; MOC S floor cleaning essential oil; M.SEO poon healing cream; TRA TRA tea tree oil and Melavie hand sanitizer. Through discussion and evaluation, the delegation agreed that the above 6 products met OCOP standards, of which 2 products met 4-star standard including Melavie hand sanitizer and M.SEO poon healing cream, the remaining 4 products met 5-stars standard. 

The General Director of the Endless Fields Tourist Area is also the General Director of Dong Thap Muoi Pharmaceutical Research and Development Joint Stock Company - pharmacist Bui Dac Thang said: "The resort specializes in growing medicinal herbs, it is also a place to take care of health with medicinal herbs. Currently, the company has many products made with medicinal plants, which are well received by domestic and foreign customers, but the spread is not high. Therefore, documents and procedures for participating in the OCOP program is also one of the measures to help the company promote and introduce products methodically, contributing to spreading to more people. Although the company's products meet all 4-star standard, we will continue to improve to raise it to 5-star standard to meet the National OCOP product in the coming time".

Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development - Dinh Thi Phuong Khanh added: “As an advisory body for this program, the Department continues to promote information and communication through many forms, content; continue to accompany the subjects to guide, "hands-on" for them; diversifying methods to do well in trade promotion from fairs and exhibitions to e-commerce platforms such as post offices, Seashells page, working forum 970 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, so on. In particular, the province will have a trade program connecting the consumption of agricultural products of the province, including the province's OCOP program".

With this effort and determination, in the coming time, the province's OCOP program will grow more and more, contributing to branding, raising the level of agricultural products, increasing income, improving people's quality of life, especially helping localities complete the National Target Program on new-style rural construction./.

By Le Ngoc – Translated by Duc Tam

Source: https://baolongan.vn/chuong-trinh-ocop-nang-tam-nong-san-dia-phuong-a127174.html