OCOP products of Chanh Viet Trading and Investment Joint Stock Company (Thanh Loi commune, Ben Luc district) are displayed and introduced at trade fairs in and outside the province
After nearly 5 years of implementing the One Commune One Product Program, the province has achieved many positive results. By June 2025, the whole province had 262 certified OCOP products, of which 211 products achieved 3 stars, 51 products achieved 4 stars. The products are diverse from fresh agricultural products, processed agricultural products to handicrafts, ornamental plants, medicinal herbs and products from medicinal herbs.
The highlight of that success is the active role of enterprises and cooperatives in forming a production - consumption chain, helping to increase the value of OCOP products, creating a new driving force in rural development.
Many enterprises in the province are considered "locomotives" in developing and enhancing the value of OCOP products such as Chanh Viet Trading and Investment Joint Stock Company (Thanh Loi Commune, Ben Luc District) specializing in producing products from seedless limes. The enterprise not only invests in modern machinery for deep processing, creating products such as lime powder, concentrated lime juice, dried lime peel, etc., but also actively connects and consumes fresh lime products of hundreds of farming households in the province.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Chanh Viet Trading and Investment Joint Stock Company - Nguyen Van Hien said: "The difference when enterprises participate in developing OCOP is that they have strengths in processing technology, the ability to find markets, register trademarks, certify food safety, etc. When certified as OCOP, products are easier to put on supermarket shelves, closer to domestic and foreign consumers."
In addition to enterprises, cooperatives in the province also play a very important role in gathering farmers and building clean raw material areas to serve the development of OCOP products. A typical example is the Muoi Hai Safe Vegetable Cooperative (Can Duoc district) with 60 members and a total cultivation area of nearly 30 hectares. Every day, the cooperative supplies more than 2 tons of vegetables to the market. When registering for OCOP, the cooperative is supported in production processes, trademark registration, and growing area code registration, helping to enhance brand value. Currently, the cooperative's green mustard products have been certified with 4-star OCOP.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Muoi Hai Safe Vegetable Cooperative - Le Van Giay shared: “The cooperative is the bridge that helps farmers participate in the OCOP Program more easily. When joining the cooperative, farmers can join production processes with food safety standards, and are connected with enterprises to consume products. When registering for OCOP, products are also given priority to participate in fairs and trade promotion events.”
The Muoi Hai Safe Vegetable Cooperative (Can Duoc District) focuses on clean production to develop OCOP products
Registering and achieving OCOP standards is no longer the destination but becomes the starting point in the journey to increase the value of rural products. When recognized as OCOP, products are not only available on domestic supermarket shelves but also have the opportunity to reach out to the world. That helps increase people's income, especially cooperative members. According to statistics from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, the income of cooperative members who register for the OCOP program is higher than that of traditional production (about 20-30%). When there is a brand, registered growing area code, standard production process, investment costs are optimized, product prices are higher, helping to significantly improve the lives of many farming households.
According to Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment - Dinh Thi Phuong Khanh, the OCOP Program not only develops products but also develops people and the community. When enterprises and cooperatives join hands in OCOP, the province will have more products with local imprints, competitive enough in the domestic and world markets.
To create long-term momentum for OCOP, the province has determined to prioritize implementing many solutions in the period of 2025-2030. In particular, focusing on perfecting mechanisms and policies to support enterprises and cooperatives in registering and upgrading OCOP; investing in infrastructure systems to serve deep processing, especially preliminary processing and packaging factories in raw material areas; promoting trade promotion, connecting Long An products on domestic and international e-commerce channels. Training human resources to help cooperatives and enterprises apply digital technology and trace product origins is also a focus.
More than an economic development program, OCOP also opens up a new direction in rural development in the province. The combination of farmers' enthusiasm, enterprises' dynamism and cooperatives' organization is the driving force for Long An to have more and more OCOP products, contributing to creating a local mark on the new development path./.
Reported by Bui Tung
Translated by NT