Developing OCOP products from the quintessence of craft villages

Products of craft villages have great potential and opportunities to develop into OCOP products, thereby elevating traditional crafts and increasing income for people. However, the number of OCOP products of craft villages in the province is not yet commensurate with the potential.

The sedge mat of Mr. Nguyen Van Xanh's family, Van Nam area, Hung Nhan town (Hung Ha) was recognized as a 3-star OCOP product in 2023.

Growing thanks to OCOP

Hung Ha is a district with many developed trades and craft villages with 54 craft villages recognized by the Provincial People's Committee. In order to improve economic efficiency, in recent years the district has had many incentive mechanisms, motivating and creating conditions for craft villages, especially households with passion for traditional crafts, to borrow capital to invest in machinery and equipment, expand production, create jobs and stable income for many rural workers.

With the determination to preserve the traditional craft, Mr. Nguyen Van Xanh - one of the "career keepers" of sedge mat weaving with seniority in Van Nam area, Hung Nhan town said: In recent years, due to competition with plastic mats, the sedge mat weaving profession has encountered many difficulties. However, sedge mat products still have a place in the hearts of consumers. Sedge mats are produced from two main materials: sedge and jute. These are natural, environmentally friendly materials, so they are safe for users and suitable for the tropical monsoon climate in Vietnam, cool in the summer, warm in the winter. The raw materials for making mats I take from the provinces of Vinh Long, Tra Vinh , Ben Tre, Thanh Hoa. In the past 10 years, thanks to the development of science and technology and the support of the district in restoring and developing the traditional craft, my family has invested in 10 sedge mat weaving machines, currently producing about 200 sedge mats per day. My facility produces woven mats of many types: wide, narrow, plain and patterned. Mat prices range from 300,000 - 350,000 VND/pair depending on size. In 2023, my family's sedge mat products will be certified as 3-star OCOP products, thereby helping to promote the brand widely and making consumption more convenient.

In addition to producing sedge mats, Mr. Nguyen Van Xanh, Van Nam area, Hung Nhan town (Hung Ha) also invested in machinery to produce plastic mats, creating jobs for about 60 workers.

Quynh Coi rice paper has existed for a long time, and has been passed down to become a specialty that people talk about everywhere. This is also one of the first products of Quynh Phu district to be recognized as a 4-star OCOP product in 2020.

Mr. Hoang Pho Nam, owner of the OCOP product Quynh Coi rice paper, said: All stages of Quynh Coi rice paper production at the facility are carried out strictly and carefully, from the selection of raw materials to processing. Thanks to the application of modern machinery and technology, my family's facility has changed the production method from drying rice paper outdoors and washing rice manually to machines, replacing human power with more modern machines. After the rice paper is sliced, it will be rolled, folded, and then dried in a dehumidifying drying room. The drying process at high temperatures helps the rice paper not to be covered with dust and dirt and preserves the rich flavor of the rice. This method completely replaces the traditional manual drying process using sunlight. Finally, after drying, the rice paper will be transferred outside and packaged in specialized plastic bags so that the product is always safe for food hygiene. In particular, Quynh Coi rice paper does not contain additives or preservatives, so it is very safe for users. Thanks to the automation of many stages in production, product productivity has been significantly increased, from small and medium scale to large scale, consuming more than 120,000 tons of rice/year. There are 3 benefits when the product is "starred" OCOP: First, it is more convenient to consume, second, it creates jobs for people, thereby increasing income and third, it has a great social impact - there is a spread of product value after being recognized as OCOP, creating trust, attracting consumers much more than similar products that are not OCOP products.

According to statistics, the whole province currently has 22 OCOP products of craft villages that have been certified with 3 stars and 4 stars. Most of the craft village products after being awarded the OCOP star have developed well, with an average increase of 20 - 25% compared to before joining the program. Among them, there are some products that have developed the market very positively, present in many domestic supermarket chains and successfully exported to demanding markets.

Quynh Coi rice paper is one of the first four OCOP 4-star recognized products of Quynh Phu district.

Product development - focus on craft village development

According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the province currently has 141 craft villages, including: 22 craft villages processing and preserving agricultural, forestry and aquatic products; The Thai Binh coastal border area, although not a key area of ​​​​smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods, always has the potential to occur. To keep the area stable, in recent times, the Provincial Border Guard has deployed synchronous measures to prevent and combat this type of crime.

Sharing about the situation of entry and exit, import and export in the area, Colonel Nham Xuan Tinh, Deputy Commander of the Provincial Border Guard Command, said: The Thai Binh sea border area has a large area, in the area there are currently 112 enterprises with 171 sea transport vehicles, mainly operating and anchored outside the province. In the area there is also 1 petroleum transfer area located in the seaport waters, 1 petroleum depot with 11 petroleum tanks and 6 liquefied gas tanks. Notably, at Diem Dien commercial port and 3 fishing ports of Cua Lan, Tan Son, Dong Tien - Thai Do, there are currently more than 700 fishing boats operating regularly. This is a place with a very large demand for petroleum consumption, a favorable location for ships to take advantage of to smuggle and illegally transport petroleum. Clearly identifying the risk of smuggling and trade fraud, implementing Plan No. 92/KH-BCĐ389, dated September 13, 2022 of the National Steering Committee 389 on strengthening the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods on border routes, sea areas, inland areas and the direction of the Provincial Steering Committee 389/DP, over the past 2 years, the Provincial Border Guard Command has focused on disseminating, directing and mobilizing forces to synchronously implement solutions. The unit has issued 6 plans, 6 official dispatches, 12 telegrams directing units to launch peak campaigns to fight against all types of crimes, including smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods in the maritime border area.

Colonel Ta Van Ngu, Head of the Drug and Crime Prevention Department, Provincial Border Guard Command, said: To prevent smuggling and trade fraud, the leaders of the Provincial Border Guard have directed units to closely coordinate with local authorities in the coastal border area to organize 45 sessions of propaganda, dissemination and legal education for 862 people, and more than 230 sessions on the radio system of communes. The masses and fishermen working at sea have raised their awareness of law compliance, not participating or assisting in transporting smugglers for hire. In particular, the people have become the eyes and extended arms of the border guard force, actively participating in detecting and denouncing crimes, helping the authorities to promptly and effectively combat smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods. In the last months of the year, the Provincial Border Guard will focus on maintaining control of the area, organizing patrols and controlling the sea border area because this is the time when smugglers and commercial fraudsters begin their activities to prepare to smuggle goods into the country for consumption during the Lunar New Year 2025.

Lieutenant Colonel Hoang Viet Bach, Assistant Investigation Guide, Drug and Crime Prevention Department, Provincial Border Guard Command shared: Officers and soldiers of working groups in the area must strengthen reconnaissance, grasp and classify high-risk subjects to propagate, mobilize, prevent violations, and at the same time do a good job of mass mobilization, mobilize the participation of Party committees, authorities, organizations, dignitaries, religious officials, prestigious people in the community to join in preventing and fighting crimes, smuggling, and trade fraud. In particular, despite difficult weather conditions, rough seas, or mosquitoes, leeches, and mangrove parrots biting and stinging, officers and soldiers strive to overcome, maintain patrol, control, and checkpoint activities, and be ready to mobilize to arrest violators and handle them according to the provisions of law. Over the past 2 years, the Provincial Border Guard has organized 771 patrols and controls on rivers and seas with a distance of 4,857 nautical miles, 2,075 patrols on land with a distance of 12,489 km, inspected and controlled 47,210 vehicles with 135,418 workers. Checked and controlled the entry of 27 vehicles, 539 crew members, nearly 750,000 tons of liquefied gas; exited 24 vehicles, 539 crew members, more than 23,000 tons of liquefied gas; transferred arrival and departure ports for 302 vehicles, 4,892 crew members, more than 730,000 tons of liquefied gas; controlled domestic export of 570 vehicles, 7,123 crew members, 162 passengers and more than 530,000 tons of goods of all kinds.

Colonel Nham Xuan Tinh added: Through patrolling, strict control, and synchronous application of professional measures, the border guards promptly discovered, arrested, and prosecuted 25 cases with 25 subjects illegally possessing drugs, seizing exhibits including 6.1919 grams of heroin, 2.4977 grams of methamphetamine, and 1.3753 grams of MDMA. The border guards coordinated with other functional forces to arrest and prosecute 37 cases with 70 subjects illegally buying, selling, and storing drugs, seizing large quantities of drugs. In addition, during the Lunar New Year, border guards directly mobilized the recovery of 4 guns of various types, 80 bullets, 2 machetes, 1 kg of TNT explosives, 4 detonators, fuses, 600 grams of firecrackers, and 15.1 kg of various types of firecrackers. These results have contributed to maintaining peace in the maritime border area, preventing smuggling and trade fraud from arising, complicating the area. KHAC DUAN 4 craft villages producing handicrafts; 4 craft villages processing and processing raw materials for industrial production; 107 craft villages producing wooden products, rattan and bamboo weaving, ceramics and glass, textiles, yarn, embroidery, knitting; 4 craft villages serving the lives of rural residents. In addition to the stable development of traditional crafts, a number of new crafts have been introduced: weaving nylon mats, crocheting yarn, making false eyelashes... contributing to creating jobs for over 50,000 workers, the average revenue of the craft villages reached 40,652 million VND/year, the average profit was 13,971 million VND/year. In addition, the whole province has 106 villages with crafts but they have not been recognized. 22 OCOP products from craft villages are all the “quintessence” of each locality’s brand and characteristics. However, compared to 141 craft villages and nearly 200 existing OCOP products, this number is still quite modest and not commensurate with the potential.

Mr. Do Quy Phuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: Through the review, over 70% of craft villages and traditional craft villages operate effectively. However, most of the craft village products have not yet built a brand to improve competitiveness in the market, have difficulty in consuming products, and are strongly competed by industrial products. The scale of craft villages is small, production is scattered in residential areas of rural areas; most of the rural craft establishments operate under the household model, a few are small-scale craft establishments; only 31/141 craft villages have business establishments. On that basis, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development coordinates with departments, branches, districts and cities to support craft villages and traditional craft villages, focusing on organizing production in craft villages in the direction of linked production according to value chains, high economic efficiency, building OCOP products from craft village products to contribute to rural economic development and new rural construction, striving to have 1-2 craft village products recognized as OCOP products each year.

Not all products from craft villages need to become OCOP products. However, if the same product is produced in many places, consumers will prioritize buying it in craft villages, similarly, OCOP products are more trusted by consumers than mass-produced products of the same type. In the context of economic integration, "awarding" OCOP stars to traditional products is seen as a new direction, creating conditions for craft villages to develop sustainably and reach out to larger markets.

Ngan Huyen

Source: https://baothaibinh.com.vn/tin-tuc/4/210321/phat-trien-san-pham-ocop-tu-tinh-hoa-lang-nghe