The concerns of the "commander" of the agricultural sector about the output of OCOP products

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan: Do we believe that the world will know more about Vietnam thanks to OCOP?

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the National Program “One Commune One Product” (OCOP) has been implemented since 2018. After 6 years of implementation, the appearance of Vietnam’s agriculture has been more clearly defined by thousands of products certified by OCOP. The domestic market of Vietnam has also gradually become familiar with regional specialties through the OCOP brand. However, in addition to the diversity and richness of products, there are still many concerns about the quality, economic value and especially the sustainability of OCOP products.

VIETNAM OCOPEX - creating a space to promote the image of Vietnam's country and people

Expressing his special impression at the VIETNAM OCOPEX Exhibition, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said, “VIETNAM OCOPEX has left me with many thoughts. EX, is in “Export - Export” and EX, can also be “Express - Express”.

“VIETNAM OCOPEX has contributed to bringing Vietnamese agricultural products on the “express train” to friends near and far. And it can be seen that VIETNAM OCOPEX has created a space to promote the image of the country and people of Vietnam from cultural values ​​through OCOP products” - Minister Le Minh Hoan expressed.

Minister Le Minh Hoan introduced the unique values ​​of OCOP products and emphasized that OCOP products need to compete with cultural values ​​when approaching the international market.

Emphasizing and citing the role of agricultural products in general, OCOP products in particular, in positioning a country's brand on the world map, the "commander" of the Agriculture sector pointed out: In the 60s of the last century, Japan was facing a serious food shortage. Young people always wanted to migrate to big cities to seek opportunities. In a poor rural area of ​​Oyama, there was very little arable agricultural land due to the terrain being mainly mountainous. The government encouraged farmers to grow rice to relieve hunger, but the people here chose plum trees, a more suitable tree. Then with unexpected successes in the following years. It was a long journey for today, your country is proud of a program that has been included in textbooks and spread to many places around the world, which is "One village, One product - One village, one product".

The One Village One Product movement is a typical example of developing rural industries based on utilizing local resources and resources. The movement has spread throughout the country, and is one of the important factors contributing to the miraculous development of the agricultural sector in particular and the Japanese economy in general. From a poor province, not long after that, Oita became known to the world for its excellent agricultural products such as dried shiitake mushrooms, barley, etc.

“Thanks to that, do we have faith that the world will know more about Vietnam thanks to OCOP?” - Minister Le Minh Hoan said.

VIETNAM OCOPEX - creating a space to promote the image of Vietnam and its people. Photo: Do ​​Nga

According to Minister Le Minh Hoan, as a country with strong agricultural potential, Vietnam is proud to be one of the cradles of rice civilization, with a variety of unique products spread across the length of the country. Distinct ecology of each region, 54 ethnic groups united, rich in cultural identity. These are the perfect conditions to create OCOP, a product that requires difference.

“From coastal rocks, stream banks, volcanic sediments, brocade patterns, regional traditional cakes, rich cuisine, humane stories of each ethnic group for generations... to the image of Vietnamese people known for their diligence, intelligence, and creativity, it is even more convenient to approach the “One Village One Product” model. All will be emotional stories, adding value to OCOP products. The products of the subjects must encapsulate love for the homeland and love for people” - the Minister confided.

OCOP subjects together contribute their best to the era of national development

Recognizing the efforts of OCOP subjects at the event with their commitment to the path of entrepreneurship, creating value for themselves, for their villages and the country, contributing to bringing the image of Vietnam wrapped up in each product to the international market. However, the Minister also worried: "Compared to the rich resources of the country, the dynamic spirit of the people, businesses, and cooperatives, what we have achieved is still modest in both quantity and quality. And somewhere we have only partially supported the product creation stage without measuring the signals of market acceptance".

Accordingly, the Minister believes that it is necessary to review the way of doing things in order to do better, bringing more sustainability to businesses. When the market is expanded, it will stimulate entities to create more, better, and more outstanding products.

Appreciating that, in recent times, a number of shopping malls, supermarkets, airports, ports, tourist information centers, etc. have been and are dedicating space to OCOP products. The Minister also hopes that there will be more supermarkets, shopping malls, and public places with dedicated space for OCOP... This will be a good opportunity for OCOP products to get closer to consumers.

Minister Le Minh Hoan and leaders of the Ministry of Industry and Trade visited booths at the exhibition to learn about the thoughts and aspirations of businesses and cooperatives. Photo: Do ​​Nga

“Today’s event is not only aimed at exporting products but also helps to stimulate the domestic market. When and only when Vietnamese people trust and use them, there will be more outstanding products for export. Accordingly, I call on domestic and foreign enterprises and large distribution centers to have policies to create favorable conditions to support OCOP products. Whether Vietnamese enterprises or foreign enterprises operating in Vietnam, they can participate in leading the market for OCOP products” - the “commander” of the agricultural sector opened.

The world today is constantly changing, startups and innovation always go hand in hand, production and market are organically related to each other. According to the Minister, in the coming time, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will have joint activities with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance... to organize direct and online forums to advise and train OCOP subjects to adapt to green consumption trends, the characteristics of each type of market, business management, cultural and social knowledge.

"The value space for OCOP products is still very large in both quantity and quality if we rethink together. With all the responsibility to contribute to the era of national development, OCOP subjects also devote all their efforts to higher and further goals" - Minister Le Minh Hoan clearly stated.

Accordingly, the Minister requested local leaders to be more closely involved in bringing OCOP products to guesthouses, hotels, shopping malls, supermarkets, and tourist attractions. Each locality needs to have a space for consulting, training on startups and innovation to help OCOP products become increasingly refined, truly becoming the pride of the locality and the country.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/noi-niem-tran-tro-cua-tu-lenh-nganh-nong-nghiep-ve-dau-ra-cua-san-pham-ocop-356071.html