Ben Tre: Developing OCOP products according to the value chain
Inheriting the achieved results of the OCOP Program for the period of 2018-2020, on August 1, 2022, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 919/QD-TTg approving the OCOP Program for the period of 2021-2025. This is an important basis for many localities to implement agricultural economic development programs, towards the national goal of building new rural areas.
Trade promotion seminar promoted Ben Tre OCOP products.
As one of 12 provinces/cities that have been piloted by the Central Steering Committee for National Target Programs to develop the OCOP Program, Ben Tre has developed and implemented the Ben Tre OCOP Program Project, orienting towards 2030 (Ben Tre OCOP Program) to soon achieve the goals set out in the Government's National Target Program on New Rural Development. With many typical products, such as coconut, pomelo, aquatic - seafood, handicrafts and etc., Ben Tre has many advantages to implement the OCOP Program, contributing to household economic development.
To promote the development of OCOP products, the Provincial People's Committee has a policy of developing strong commodity groups including food, beverages, herbs, souvenirs - furniture - decoration, rural tourism services etc. Especially, many provincial departments/sectors, such as Department of Science and Technology, Department of Industry and Trade... have implemented activities to support enterprises and cooperatives in the province to innovate technologies and promote brands, products and goods; organize fairs/workshops to introduce, connect and consume OCOP products and Ben Tre specialties; Support to build corporate brand strategy and set of brand identity criteria for OCOP products and etc.
However, the development of this product in recent years has not been commensurate with the potential and strengths of the locality due to the lack of adequate investment in value chain connection activities. The development of new specialty brands stops at each locality, there is no strategy to build a brand identity and long-term exploitation common to the whole province. In addition, the production scale is still small, there are not many concentrated commodity production areas with uniform product quality. The application of new techniques and advanced technologies to the production and processing of products is still limited.
Not only that, the awareness of many producers, although it has been propagated by the authorities, still do not fully understand the benefits of OCOP products; capital sources of subjects to invest in production expansion are still limited; the subjects' skills in establishing trade promotion distribution channels are not high; buying/selling of agricultural products still depends a lot on traders; product distribution channels and e-commerce channels have not been established. The level of production and business management of cooperatives, cooperative groups, and production households is still limited and etc.
The successful implementation of the project "Building, managing and developing Ben Tre OCOP products along the value chain" is of great significance, helping the province to gradually solve problems of poverty reduction, employment, and social welfare, environmental. Besides, the successful implementation of the project also helps promote the innovation of the people, contributing to the formation of links between organizations and businesses to develop the community economy. In addition, the success of the project also affirms the right and creative direction of Ben Tre province in developing OCOP-certified products and goods according to the value chain (models linking production - processing). - Consumption of agricultural products that have been formed and are developing) contribute to creating a driving force for socio-economic development of the locality.