Lam Thao Boosts OCOP Product Development

As an area with strong agricultural production advantages, Lam Thao District has recently enhanced its agricultural production in a commercial direction, diversifying agricultural products with a particular focus on developing OCOP products. This contributes to labor structure transformation and the economic growth of rural areas.

Under the “One Commune, One Product” program, by 2024, the district has 34 OCOP products, including 2 products rated 4 stars and 32 products rated 3 stars. Currently, all communes and towns in the district have at least one OCOP product, with Tu Xa and Vinh Lai each having 8 products, Phung Nguyen with 4, and Son Vi with 3.

The OCOP products are mainly focused on unique items that leverage local strengths, such as Holusa soybean paste, the Fatherland fermented soy sauce by Hoa Lua Co., Ltd. (Cao Xa Commune); pumpkin noodle, turmeric noodle, Thien Ly flower noodle, pear guava, macadamia (Vinh Lai Commune); shiitake mushrooms, warming packs, dry noodles (Son Vi Commune); black Ha grapes, grape wine, Phung Nguyen glutinous rice wine (Phung Nguyen Commune)...

Success in growing the Ha Den grape variety—one of the products rated 3 stars in the OCOP program for its distinctive flavor and superior quality—has led Lam Thao Agricultural Cooperative to further innovate by developing processed grape products. These creations are increasingly establishing a solid market presence thanks to their quality and safe production processes, offering a unique and rich flavor from the local soil.

Additionally, the cooperative has built sales channels on social media platforms like Zalo and Facebook. This production model helps establish the value and brand of local agricultural products, while also increasing income and improving living standards for the cooperative’s members and local residents.

Alongside product linkages and consumption, the OCOP program has encouraged participants to assess and improve the quality of their products, leading to solutions for enhancing product quality, updating packaging, ensuring food safety, and implementing barcode tracking systems. These efforts create a legal framework for participating in supply chains and supermarkets, expanding market reach, boosting revenue, and ensuring sustainable development.

In recent times, along with strengthening propaganda work, Lam Thao District has continued to collaborate in integrating and mobilizing priority resources to support the development of key and unique products participating in the program. The district has also enhanced training, professional development, and workshops on program management and OCOP product management knowledge for stakeholders; production and business management for participants; organized annual evaluations and product ratings for OCOP; increased inspection and monitoring of product quality from stakeholders and OCOP products after being recognized; and promoted trade activities, connecting supply and demand for OCOP products.

At the same time, the district has integrated funding from various programs, projects, and local budgets to support OCOP products that meet the 3-star standard or higher. As a result, these products have been effective and have gained market demand, becoming a driving force for economic development in rural areas.

A prime example is in 2024, when the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, in collaboration with the District Agricultural Extension Station, the Tien Kien Commune People’s Committee, and the Tien Kien Agricultural and Electricity Service Cooperative, implemented a model for linking the production and consumption of high-quality honey products under the “One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) program. This involved beekeeping households from the tien Kien Beekeeping Cooperative, with a scale of 350 beehives, yielding over 3,000 liters of honey.

The model was supported with partial funding from the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center to purchase an honeydew separator, as well as materials like sugar and pollen to supplement bee feed. After 8 months of implementation, the separated honey was of a more concentrated quality, 20-30% richer, with a longer shelf life and a selling price approximately 30% higher than regular honey.

In total, the households earned over 400 million VND from selling honey throughout the implementation cycle. In 2024, the honey produced by the Tien Kien Beekeeping Cooperative was one of the 12 products evaluated for the district’s 3-star OCOP certification.

In 2025, Lam Thao District aims to develop and standardize at least 6 more OCOP products to achieve the 3-star rating or higher; develop at least one new participant entity such as a cooperative, cooperative group, individual business, or family business to standardize OCOP products; and develop 1-2 more OCOP product value chains with stable, consistent supply and economic effectiveness.

Vy An