OCOP products at peak Tet season

Entering the last month of the lunar year, a series of OCOP products in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province are bustling with production season to serve the Tet market.

Sản phẩm OCOP vào cao điểm vụ Tết — The owner of Long Hai anchovy fish sauce facility, Long Dat district, checks the quality of fish sauce prepared for sale on the Lunar New Year market.

During Tet, local specialty products have increased consumption compared to normal days. To have enough supply for the market, units and entities with OCOP products and specialty products are actively producing to meet customer demand... To serve the market during the peak of Tet, these days, production facilities, enterprises and cooperatives are focusing on preliminary processing and packaging products. Hati Production - Trade and Service Company Limited, Phuoc Hai town, Long Dat district is busy producing to bring to the market Long Hai fish sauce products made from pure anchovies. Ms. Nguyen Thi Chien - Director of the Company said that this year's Tet, the company still maintains a production output of about 50,000 liters of anchovy fish sauce. To meet the consumer needs of the people, the company has introduced many types of bottles with quantities from 300 ml, 500 ml, 1,000 ml, 5,000 ml... To have a bottle of traditional anchovy fish sauce with guaranteed quality, the company carefully selects raw materials, fresh anchovies that have just been caught and salt (two main ingredients) purchased directly in Ba Ria - Vung Tau. After preliminary processing, the fish are put in salt for 1 year and go through many filtering stages to produce delicious, flavorful traditional Long Hai anchovy fish sauce. The company not only focuses on improving quality but also focuses on design and eye-catching packaging to bring consumers the best products during the traditional Tet holiday... Therefore, the product packaging is also mainly red, which symbolizes luck and goodness - Ms. Nguyen Thi Chien said.

At the Hung Thinh sesame rice paper production facility in Bong Trang commune, Xuyen Moc district, the working atmosphere has been busy for many weeks. During Tet, the number of orders skyrocketed, and the facility had to hire more workers to meet the delivery schedule. Ms. Trinh Thi Bich Thuan, the business owner, said that the sesame rice paper product is certified as a 3-star OCOP. On average, the facility produces about 5,000 cakes a day with many varieties: rice paper with green onion and pepper, rice paper with green onion and chili, rice paper with coconut... to supply the market in and outside the province. About a month ago, the facility received Tet orders and started production to deliver to customers on time. Currently, the number of orders is at its peak. To ensure progress, the facility has to mobilize workers to work and is expected to produce 10,000 cakes this Tet, double the normal number - Ms. Bich Thuan shared. The Hac Dich Green-Skin Grapefruit Cooperative, Hac Dich Ward, Phu My Town, has also begun to bustle with trucks carrying freshly cut grapefruit to the factory for processing and packaging. The multi-purpose fruit washing line is running at full capacity to keep up with the packaging stage. In the packaging area, workers are also busy putting net bags and labeling the products. Mr. Nguyen Trong Trung, Director of the Hac Dich Green-Skin Grapefruit Cooperative, said that this year, the cooperative's 38 hectares of green-skin grapefruit will produce about 200 tons for the Tet market, an increase of 30% compared to last year. At this time, the cooperative harvests and markets about 3 tons per day, and by the days before Tet, it is expected to harvest and market about 20 tons per day. The retail price is expected to be from 40,000 to 50,000 VND/kg; the wholesale price is about 30,000 to 35,000 VND/kg.

For the past 3 years, the cooperative's green-skinned grapefruit products have been favored by consumers. The cooperative's green-skinned grapefruit has been recognized as OCOP, so traceability is easier; output is also stable. This year, in addition to selling to traders, the cooperative also organized 3 points of sale for Tet grapefruit at Rach Dua market (Vung Tau city), Ba Ria market and Phu My town - Mr. Trung informed.

According to the agricultural sector, the OCOP program has helped local specialty products affirm their brands and increasingly expand their markets. During the Lunar New Year, people's demand for goods often increases, so businesses, cooperatives, and production facilities in localities have proactively sourced raw materials and developed plans to produce Tet products to bring to the market. Up to now, many OCOP products and specialty products of localities in the province have been trusted and chosen by consumers for use and as gifts during the Lunar New Year. Mr. Vu Ngoc Dang, Head of the Department of Rural Development, said: Many OCOP products and specialty products of localities are not only of good quality but also beautifully designed. Up to now, the province has had outstanding products with high quality, imbued with local cultural identity and strong competitiveness in the market. OCOP product manufacturing establishments have been proactively focusing on developing both the form and quality of Tet products according to consumer tastes, actively contributing to the campaign "Vietnamese people prioritize using Vietnamese goods" and promoting local economic development.