Yen Dung: Taking advantage of the potential to improve the quality of OCOP products

With 74 agricultural cooperatives operating in many industries and types; 02 traditional craft villages, Yen Dung district (Bac Giang) has great potential to develop diverse agricultural products and craft villages according to the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program, thereby bringing high economic value to local people.

With its inherent potential, Yen Dung district has many advantages to invest in developing high-quality OCOP products.

Yen Dung district is located in the Southeast of Bac Giang province, with a natural area of ​​over 19,100 hectares, a population of over 163,000 people, including 16 communes and 02 towns. The district is in a favorable location, close to Bac Giang city, adjacent to the Northern economic triangle, with convenient transportation connecting with major economic centers such as Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh. The district's natural conditions are diverse; there are 3 rivers flowing into the area; Nham Bien mountain range with 99 legendary mountains; fertile, rich, relatively flat land. The people have a tradition of solidarity, hard work, creativity... The above factors have created many advantages for Yen Dung in developing diverse economic sectors including industry, agriculture and services. Therefore, in the past 10 years, Yen Dung has been identified as a key district for industrial, urban and service development of Bac Giang province. In recent years, Yen Dung district has coordinated with the Office of the Coordination of the New Rural Development Program of Bac Giang province to organize training courses for commune and town officials, business owners, cooperatives, and business households with potential to develop OCOP products. In addition, the district supports costs for consulting on documents, designing packaging, product labels, and product marketing programs... The district also connects product owners to participate in trade promotion programs at fairs, and supports product consumption on e-commerce platforms.

Households and cooperatives flexibly and creatively apply science and technology to cultivation for high efficiency.

Thanks to the flexible implementation of the OCOP Program, suitable to the actual conditions of the locality, product characteristics, promoting the conditions of local raw materials and labor, and product quality advantages, practical results have been achieved. By the end of May 2024, the whole district had successfully developed 24 products and groups of OCOP products with 3-4 star quality; it is expected that by the end of 2024, the district will have 17 more products achieving OCOP, bringing the total number of OCOP products in the district to 41 products. The district is currently striving to have at least 6-8 products achieving 3 stars or higher, including at least 1-2 OCOP products in 2024 associated with experiential tourism service points to attract tourists and at the same time promote the district's tourism activities.

The Queen Melon of Yen Dung Clean Vegetable Cooperative has been granted 4-star OCOP certification. The melon has a bright, beautiful yellow color, is eye-catching; has a sweet, cool taste and is very safe.

The district's OCOP products have affirmed their brand reputation and product quality in the market. Some OCOP products have increased revenue, such as: Yen Dung Fragrant Rice, Clean Beard Products (of Yen Dung Clean Vegetable Cooperative), Turmeric Starch and Lotus Root Starch (of Thuy Duong Clean Agricultural Cooperative)... OCOP entities in the district have contributed to creating jobs for nearly 300 regular workers, with a stable income of 7 to 10 million VND/person/month. Many cooperatives, production and business establishments in the district have proactively registered to participate in the OCOP program. In addition to supporting cooperatives and entities to complete OCOP product registration dossiers, the District Economic Department has also promoted training and coaching to improve management and marketing capacity for managers and executives of enterprises, cooperatives, production establishments/households; training workers associated with the needs of OCOP product production, product development methods to improve quality, value and suit customer needs in the new situation. To further improve the quality of OCOP products, Yen Dung district is promoting information and propaganda work, mobilizing the participation of authorities at all levels, people and entities to develop OCOP products associated with typical products, local strengths, associated with community tourism, and experiences. Along with that, the district continues to coordinate with the Office of Coordination of the Bac Giang New Rural Development Program and provincial departments and branches to bring local OCOP products to participate in fairs, trade promotion weeks, and promote the consumption of goods. The district also coordinates with the Department of Industry and Trade, the Union of Cooperatives, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to open points to introduce and sell OCOP products, participate in fair programs, and connect trade; Connecting products to supermarket systems, convenience store chains, e-commerce systems and strengthening linkages along the value chain, in order to enhance competitiveness in the market..., thereby creating motivation and attracting entities to join the OCOP Program of the district. In 2024, the People's Committee of Bac Giang province will allocate about 20.9 billion VND to implement the contents of the One Commune One Product Program Plan. In particular, focusing on reviewing and evaluating the quality standards of existing products, orienting economic organizations to improve product quality according to OCOP criteria. Organizing production associated with the development of typical raw material areas. Accordingly, Yen Dung district has developed specific implementation solutions such as continuing to promote propaganda to raise awareness and change the thinking of economic organizations in rural areas, state management agencies, distribution units, and consumers through conferences to deploy the OCOP Program; diversifying forms of communication on mass media. Encourage the creation of gift packages and souvenirs of OCOP products associated with the cultural history of regions and localities. Source: https://baotainguyenmoitruong.vn/yen-dung-tan-dung-tiem-nang-nang-cao-chat-luong-san-pham-ocop-377124.html