OCOP - Revolution in the countryside
In recent years, consumers have become more familiar with products labeled OCOP - the English abbreviation for the "One Commune One Product" program.
The OCOP program was launched in 2018, part of the system of solutions to implement the Government's National Target Program on new rural construction and to effectively implement the group of criteria "Economy and production organization" in the National Criteria Set for new rural communes.
The OCOP program aims to develop the rural economy in the direction of developing internal resources and increasing value. The focus of the OCOP program is to develop advantageous agricultural, non-agricultural, and service products in each locality according to the value chain, implemented by private economic sectors (enterprises, production households) and collective economies.
Although only implemented for more than 4 years, it can be seen that OCOP is a "revolutionary" turning point that changes the quality of the new rural construction movement, thereby changing the way agricultural production is organized, the face of the countryside and the lives of farmers. It helps farmers to focus on producing goods on their own land, with available human resources and traditional plants and animals.
In Nghe An alone, from OCOP, hundreds of quality products have entered the market. By October 2023, the whole province had 422 OCOP products rated 3 stars or higher, of which 380 products were rated 3 stars, 41 products were rated 4 stars, and 1 product was rated 5 stars.
These items are processed from local agricultural products, combining indigenous culture and modern technology in many products, creating unique, distinctive and very attractive features, suitable for consumer tastes.
The products are refined from familiar agricultural products such as turmeric, ginger, peanuts, corn, potatoes, cassava, rice, from indigenous medicinal herbs, from traditional local foods such as beef, pork, chicken, seafood, etc.
More specifically, the development of OCOP products has revived traditional occupations that seemed to be on the verge of extinction, such as brocade weaving, knitting, forging, etc. OCOP has also stimulated efforts to preserve the traditional cultural capital of many ethnic groups through community tourism products. OCOP has truly done what for many years, all levels and functional sectors have been concerned about: promoting the restructuring of the agricultural sector, developing production towards concentrated goods, building brands, increasing product value, and improving the production and business level of entities.
OCOP is also an opportunity for many cooperatives that are struggling to find a way to survive to now have a direction for development. Many small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs were born from farmers and linked their existence and development to OCOP products, to agriculture, farmers, and rural areas. The connection between farmers, cooperatives and small and medium enterprises has solved the most difficult problem for agriculture and farmers, which is bringing agricultural products to the market.
The province has 215 cooperatives with products implementing value chain production, of which 79 cooperatives have products achieving 3-star OCOP or higher. These units have connected, supported and acted as "midwives" for many OCOP products.
Many cooperatives play an important role such as: Thien Nhan Lemon Cooperative, Tan Ky Clean Banana Cooperative, Thai Hoa Tien Brocade Craft Village Cooperative, Mon Son Handicraft Cooperative (Con Cuong), Phu Quy Medicinal Herbs Cooperative, Nam Anh Cassava Starch Cooperative, Bac Homeland Sen Cooperative, Tien Hoi Honey Cooperative, Huong Son Cooperative (Ky Son)...
Behind those cooperatives are many farming households that have escaped poverty and become prosperous. For example, Huong Son Cooperative annually purchases and sells 1,500 to 2,000 tons of fresh ginger to farmers in Ky Son, while also producing over 10 products from ginger for domestic consumption and export to several countries around the world.
And walking street
The organization of walking streets on weekend evenings on Ho Tung Mau, Nguyen Van Cu, Nguyen Trung Ngan and Nguyen Tai streets in Vinh city in recent years has also been a very meaningful policy for the spiritual life of the city's residents and surrounding areas. Coincidentally, the activities in this urban center are very related to OCOP products from Nghe An villages.
The walking street will be tested for 1 year and will be officially inaugurated and put into operation in May 2023. However, the most exciting nights of the walking street are when there are booths displaying, introducing and selling OCOP products of enterprises and cooperatives in connection and exchange programs organized by agencies such as the Provincial Investment Promotion Center, the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, the People's Committee of Vinh City, Hanoi...
On these occasions, the walking street is more crowded and bustling with excited buyers and sellers. Many consumers expressed regret that this OCOP product display and sale activity is rarely organized.
Recently, the Fatherland Front of Nghe An province coordinated with the Fatherland Front of districts in the province, Party committees at all levels, and local authorities to organize the Street Festival "Cultural colors of ethnic groups in Nghe An province" on the walking street for 2 days (November 10 and 11), attracting thousands of people to join in the fun. Nghe An OCOP products have been strongly consumed, and producers and sellers are very excited.
From this event, it can be seen that cooperatives and businesses want to sell regularly on the walking street but have not been able to do so. It is known that each time a booth is set up, the cost is quite high, from 6-12 million VND/booth, but it only operates for a few days and then ends. Therefore, this activity is more for promotion than business efficiency. Many consumers as well as production units and agencies organizing this activity all hope that the province and city will plan and invest in fixed rows of stalls so that every weekend, cooperatives and businesses can bring their products out to sell and introduce.
The walking street will therefore be richer, more lively and attractive, at the same time, supporting OCOP entities to consume a significant amount of goods and promote OCOP products to tourists.
Source
Comment (0)