OCOP - Elevating Thai Nguyen agricultural products

An Binh Cooperative, Vinh Thong Commune, turns raw star anise into deeply processed OCOP products.

An Binh Cooperative, Vinh Thong Commune, deeply processes star anise, products meet OCOP standards.

Traditional products such as Na Ri vermicelli, Thai Nguyen tea, turmeric starch... have now surpassed the single production model and achieved 3-5 star OCOP standards. This upgrade creates a chain linking production, processing, consumption, combined with tourism and trade, opening up a sustainable direction for local agriculture .

Hao Dat Tea Cooperative, Tan Cuong commune is a typical example with 2 5-star OCOP products, affirming quality through safe production according to VietGAP and organic standards.

In Bac Kan ward, Bac Ha Pharmaceutical Technology Joint Stock Company, after many years of improvement, has brought 3 products to achieve 5-star OCOP and 8 products to achieve 3-4 stars. These efforts help to increase the value of traditional products into competitive goods in the market, while forming a sustainable value chain from production to consumption.

Mr. Pham Tien Dat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bac Ha Pharmaceutical Technology Joint Stock Company, said: OCOP is both a tool to affirm product quality and a measure of prestige for consumers. We are focusing on improving design, packaging and building a growing area of more than 10 hectares, strictly managing according to VietGAP and GACP standards to improve the quality of raw materials and product reliability.

Vinh Thong commune is famous for its cool climate, suitable for star anise to grow. Currently, the commune has about 400 hectares of star anise, which was previously mainly sold as raw fruit to traders.

Realizing the potential of deep processing, An Binh Cooperative, run by Ms. Nguyen Thi Mien, has invested in production lines for products such as star anise, star anise essential oil, and floor cleaner, many of which have been recognized as OCOP products.

Ms. Mien said: The cooperative is continuing to improve processing quality, striving to bring products from 3 to 4 stars, while expanding linkages in organic growing areas, serving industrial processing and aiming for export.

Up to now, Thai Nguyen has 569 OCOP products ranked from 3-5 stars by 323 entities, exceeding the project's target by 160%. Of which, 10 products achieved 5 stars, 113 products achieved 4 stars and 446 products achieved 3 stars.

These figures reflect efforts to improve product quality, develop brands and create stable livelihoods for people.

Many OCOP products of Thai Nguyen province are favored by customers.

The OCOP program promotes links between businesses, cooperatives and households, while attracting investment resources into agriculture and rural development.

The economic value of OCOP products increased by an average of 20% or more. Sales of units with OCOP products increased by 20-50%, in which some items recorded an increase of 70-100%.

Many key products such as tea, mushrooms, fragrant green squash, and cellophane noodles have standardized care, processing, and branding processes, improving competitiveness and expanding the market.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam, Head of the Provincial Department of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development, commented: OCOP products meet quality and food safety standards, their quality is increasingly improved, and their reputation in the market is increasingly affirmed. Many products have diverse designs and packaging, are environmentally friendly, helping to expand production scale, increase revenue and profit for the subjects.

Despite many outstanding results, the implementation of OCOP products in the province still has certain limitations. Most products are in the agricultural sector, craft villages, small scale; raw material areas are unstable, highly seasonal; the application of science and technology, deep processing and development of new products are not commensurate with the potential.

Some products have inconvenient packaging designs, lack differentiation, and are difficult to identify in the large market. These limitations require increased investment in technology, management, product design, and market development.

Overcoming limitations and promoting the achieved results, in the coming time, the OCOP Program will focus on the spirit of initiative and creativity, while enhancing cooperation between subjects and the community. The goal is to develop OCOP products to meet market demand, create jobs, and increase income for people...

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202509/ocop-nang-tam-nong-san-thai-nguyen-9eb14fa/