Developing OCOP products to increase the value of agricultural products

As a commune in the mountainous district of Yen Lap, the income of Luong Son people still mainly depends on agriculture and forestry. How to promote the advantages of the locality, increase the income of ethnic minorities, and move towards successfully building new rural areas is a key issue that has been focused on and implemented by local authorities in recent years. Developing OCOP products to increase the value of agricultural products and promote and expand the consumption market is one of the solutions that Luong Son has focused on investing in recent years.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, Head of the Din Van rice production cooperative, Luong Son commune, Yen Lap district, visits the field before harvesting.

Taking us to visit a nearly 10-hectare field growing the specialty Din Van sticky rice variety, Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, Head of the Din Van rice production cooperative in Dinh A area, Luong Son commune, Yen Lap district, shared: "If My Lung has Ga Crow sticky rice, Luong Son also has the specialty Din Van sticky rice. Both types of sticky rice have their own flavors, and the quality is not inferior to each other. However, consumers only know about Ga Crow sticky rice but not about Din Van sticky rice. It is known that after My Lung’s Ga Crow sticky rice variety was recognized as an OCOP product, the selling price of the product has increased by about 20%, so our cooperative group also proposed to the commune government to support expanding the planting area of this Din Van sticky rice variety, aiming to build an OCOP product, increasing income for farmers."

According to Mr. Thanh, because the rice grains have alternating black and yellow stripes, people call it Din Van sticky rice. Compared to other sticky rice varieties, the growing period of Din Van sticky rice is 15-20 days longer; if carefully cared for and properly engineered, it can yield 56-57 quintals/ha. With an average selling price of about 25,000 VND/kg of rice, the average income is about 140-150 million VND/ha/crop, which is a significant source of income for the people here. Comrade Dinh Cong Toan, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Luong Son commune, said: Being a mountainous commune with a large area, Luong Son has advantages in developing agricultural and forestry economies." Previously, due to traffic conditions and production practices, the economic value was not high. After investing in infrastructure construction, especially the upgraded and expanded traffic infrastructure, creating favorable conditions for farmers to consume agricultural products, households have focused on investing and intensive farming to improve product quality. When there was a policy to build OCOP products, the commune government mobilized eligible entities to establish cooperatives, attract households to join the organization, and build production and consumption plans to increase income. Up to now, the commune has had 2 products recognized as reaching the 3-star OCOP level and is focusing on building the product of Din Van sticky rice to be recognized as an OCOP product in 2025.

Tea processing at the Luong Son green tea production cooperative

In addition to Din Van sticky rice, another OCOP product of Luong Son has developed quite well, expanded the consumption market, and built a raw material area that meets safety standards, which is the Luong Son green tea product of the Luong Son green tea production cooperative.

Ms. Dang Thi Binh, head of the cooperative, said: When I saw that tea growers mainly sold fresh tea, intensively cultivated according to the individual model, each family sold for their own benefit. Few people cared about making finished tea or promoting the product to get a higher price, promoting the local tea brand. That made the economic conditions of local women unstable. Realizing that tea is a plant with a large growing area in Phu Tho and Phu Tho tea also has a brand in the market, I boldly established a cooperative. Currently, the cooperative has 11 members, all of whom are women and ethnic minorities. Since the product was recognized as reaching the 3-star OCOp level, consumption has become more stable. The income of the members is guaranteed from 4-5 million VND/person/month. Comrade Dinh Cong Toan added: In the coming time, in addition to supporting the recognition of Din Van sticky rice products as OCOP products, the commune will coordinate with entities whose products have been recognized to continue investing in expanding raw material areas associated with safe production and goods; flexibly apply policies to support entities investing in machinery, applying technical advances in the stages of preliminary processing and product processing; and coordinate with provincial and district agencies to promote, introduce, and find markets for farmers' products.

Phan Cuong