Finding export directions for OCOP products

Not stopping at conquering the domestic market, many OCOP products of Ninh Binh province are making efforts to affirm their brand and quality to bring Vietnamese goods to the world.

According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, up to now, Ninh Binh province has 154 OCOP products achieving 3 stars and 4 stars. Of which, many OCOP products have been affirming their brand and quality, conquering the domestic market and appearing in countries considered to be demanding and difficult to access markets.

These include: Fashion and interior decoration items such as straw bags, water hyacinth bags, hats, handbags, mirror frames, photo frames, water hyacinth tables and chairs of Vina Handicrafts Co., Ltd. in Quang Thien Commune (Kim Son); "Grinded Sweet Corn" products of Asia Food Joint Stock Company meeting 4-star OCOP standards (present in nearly 20 countries and territories); burnt rice products of Dai Long Production and Trading Co., Ltd.; embroidery products of Green Sun Embroidery Co., Ltd. In addition, many products have export potential such as yellow flower tea, bo bat pottery, products of Sinh Duoc Cooperative... and many OCOP products have become local branded gifts.

Ms. Tran Thuy Nhi, Deputy Director of Vina Handicrafts Co., Ltd. said: On average, each year the company supplies the market with about 600,000 products made from sedge and water fern, mainly serving the foreign market. Revenue reaches over 25 billion VND, creating jobs for 50 workers at the factory with an income of 4-8 million VND/person/month. Particularly for OCOP water fern bags and sedge mirrors, in 2022, more than 80,000 products were sold. To date, the company has become a partner of more than 20 countries, including many demanding markets such as Europe, America, Japan, Korea, Arabia, etc.

In order for OCOP products to reach further, in recent times, Ninh Binh province has had specific orientations and roadmaps in building unique, quality products to upgrade and enhance the value of OCOP products. Along with that, trade promotion and product promotion have been given attention.

According to Mr. Pham Dang Nam, Deputy Director of the Center for High Technology Application and Trade Promotion, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, trade promotion activities of local authorities have been innovated in implementation methods, especially activities connecting production units so that OCOP products can "open the door" to the market. The sector has closely coordinated with the Industry and Trade sector to actively support trade promotion for enterprises, especially small and medium enterprises, cooperatives, production and trading establishments of OCOP products in the area. However, according to the assessment of the functional sectors, the number of export products of our province is still limited, modest compared to the potential and advantages. This reality stems from many reasons, both objective and subjective.

Mr. Pham Dang Nam said: In order for OCOP products to become export items, first of all, the production process must be green, clean, safe, and apply modern science and technology. Next is investment in design and product brand promotion. This process requires large capital and high technical level. However, currently, OCOP products in our province are mainly produced by local people, cooperatives, and craft villages, so it is very difficult to fully meet legal documents and production capacity to meet export standards. The subjective reason is the slow innovation in design and product quality of the subjects. The recognition of products meeting OCOP standards helps the subjects have better access to the domestic market. But if they want to reach out to the world, the subjects themselves need to have a strategy, accept investment, risk, improve the product and above all, have passion and determination to pursue.

Faced with obstacles that prevent Ninh Binh OCOP products from being widely exported, Mr. Nguyen Duc Tuan, representative of the Bochi Cuc Phuong Ginseng Cooperative, hopes: When a unit or enterprise approaches the foreign market on its own, the cost can be up to hundreds of millions of VND. Therefore, we hope to participate in more international programs, fairs, and exhibitions organized by the locality and the State.

In September 2023, through participating in the Agricultural Development Training Program in Asan City (Korea) organized by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Cooperative brought Cuc Phuong ginseng products to Korea for the first time. Not only that, we also established cooperative relationships with a number of businesses and were highly appreciated by partners for the content and quality of Cuc Phuong ginseng. Realizing the "dream" of exporting ginseng to the place known as "the land of ginseng" is not too far away for the Cooperative.

It can be said that when a product is exported, its economic value is higher, revenue and profit increase and workers' income is raised. Participating in "big games" also helps businesses and entities improve their competitiveness, constantly innovate, improve product quality, techniques, technology...

Therefore, in the coming time, the subjects need to continue to improve the "quality" of products, closely coordinate with units and localities to develop brands, trademarks, standards, quality, register codes, barcodes, and product traceability stamps. Sectors and localities need to continue to support economic organizations and start-up enterprises to innovate, apply technology, and digital transformation in production and product marketing. At the same time, promote trade promotion activities, advertise, introduce and sell OCOP products through fairs, exhibitions, and product displays domestically and internationally.

Minh Hai

Source