Proactively develop raw material areas for OCOP products

Implementing the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program, in recent times, Hanoi's OCOP entities have focused on developing high-quality agricultural raw material areas with regional characteristics. From there, proactively providing raw materials for OCOP product production opens up opportunities to strongly promote chain linkages for sustainable economic development.

Packing hydroponic vegetables in Da Ton commune (Gia Lam district). Photo: Do ​​Tam

Link to create raw material area

Da Ton Commune (Gia Lam District) has a tradition of growing green vegetables. Director of Da Ton General Service Cooperative Duong Thi Thuan said: "To increase production value, since 2018, I have mobilized 12 members to establish a cooperative, build net houses to grow hydroponic vegetables, herbs, and organic vegetables. On an area of ​​1 hectare, the cooperative has arranged 8 net houses and a preliminary processing area, a product introduction store. By 2022, the cooperative will have more than 10 types of vegetables that have been evaluated by the city, classified as OCOP with 4 stars". Although it has invested in high technology in vegetable growing, with a limited area, Da Ton General Service Cooperative cannot provide the desired amount of vegetables to the market. Moreover, according to Ms. Duong Thi Thuan, due to urbanization, agricultural land in Da Ton is increasingly shrinking. In addition, because it is included in the planning, the commune's internal transportation and irrigation systems are not invested in, making production very difficult. Faced with that challenge, in early 2023, Da Ton General Service Cooperative went to Moc Chau (Son La province) to cooperate with local farmers to grow 3 hectares of vegetables. Up to now, every day from the linked growing area, 1.8 tons of green vegetables are brought to the cooperative, ensuring the criteria for cultivation processes as in Da Ton. All vegetables are pre-processed and packaged at the cooperative before being sold in supermarkets and clean food stores. Thanks to the effective linkage area, 12 members of the cooperative have jobs and stable incomes of about 6.5 million VND/person/month. Not only with Da Ton General Service Cooperative, to ensure product quality, especially OCOP products, the subjects and localities have calculated to build stable raw material areas, expand production scale, meet the increasing demand of the market. In particular, focusing on developing raw material areas associated with high-quality products with characteristics and advantages of each region, with criteria on origin and sustainability. According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hanoi, the city is maintaining 159 chains from production to consumption of agricultural, forestry and fishery products; of which there are 53 product chains of animal origin and 106 product chains of plant origin. In addition, according to the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the period of 2020-2024, implementing the Coordination Program between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Hanoi People's Committee, the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and 43 provinces and cities across the country have built and developed more than 1,000 safe food supply chains (an increase of 22 provinces and cities and 211 chains compared to the period of 2015-2020).

Create safe, distinctive products

Hanoi strives to increase the number of OCOP products to 5 stars in the coming time. At the same time, it focuses on building a value chain in the direction of a circular economy, green OCOP associated with stable raw material areas. For OCOP to develop strongly domestically and towards export, it requires products to meet food safety and hygiene criteria. According to a report by the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, currently 100% of Hanoi's chains are certified as qualified food safety facilities, of which 40% of the product supply chains for Hanoi have at least one stage certified for production according to one of the following standards: VietGAP, HACCP, ISO 22000, organic. Up to now, Hanoi has formed many concentrated production areas, such as rice growing areas, vegetable growing areas, fruit growing areas, and livestock farming areas. The city has also built many chains linking with provinces and cities across the country. Currently, Hanoi is a locality with many specialty plant varieties, such as: Royal spinach of Linh Chieu village (Sen Phuong commune, Phuc Tho district); Huong Tich apricot (Huong Son commune, My Duc district); Tich Giang tangerine (Phuc Tho district) ... with great potential to develop OCOP products, but facing the current situation of degradation, it is difficult to expand in the direction of goods. Therefore, protecting and developing specialty varieties, creating stable raw material areas will help the city promote restructuring of the agricultural sector, creating high-value products, promoting the development of agricultural value chains and developing OCOP products. With these potential strengths and the strong promotion of innovation, science and technology, Hanoi's agricultural products are expected to develop strongly in the coming time. In particular, the active support of local authorities, all levels and sectors is an important basis to promote OCOP entities to invest in developing stable raw material areas associated with processing, connecting product consumption markets according to the value chain, contributing to the development of the OCOP program in particular and the rural economy in general. Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/chu-dong-phat-trien-vung-nguyen-lieu-cho-san-pham-ocop-687989.html