Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade has opened threeshowrooms of the “One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) programme over the past fewdays, part of efforts to popularise high-quality specialties of the capital andother localities to local consumers.

Addressinga ceremony unveiling a showroom in Dinh Cong ward of Hoang Maidistrict on October 14, Acting Director of the municipal Department of Industryand Trade Tran Thi Phuong Lan said with OCOP agricultural, food, and specialtyproducts on display and sale, the store will be a trustworthy place for consumers.

OCOPshowrooms also create opportunities for producers to advertise their productsand boost sales, she noted.

Thesame day, the department kicked off a week of OCOP products at the BigC ThangLong shopping centre in Cau Giay district. The event, lasting through October 18,features 60 booths of more than 40 businesses and OCOP producers of Hanoi andover 10 other localities.

Meanwhile,another OCOP showroom was opened in Hong Van commune of Thuong Tin district onOctober 15.

Inhis remarks, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade Nguyen TheHiep noted the OCOP programme demonstrates the Party and State’s attention to people’sbusiness activities, especially in rural areas. Through this programme, producershave a chance to improve safe and sustainable production skills so as to capitaliseon their advantages and improve product quality, value and packaging.

Thedevelopment of such showrooms aims to further introduce OCOP products with highquality to consumers and also promote connectivity in production and sale amongstakeholders, he added.

Bui Cong Than, Vice Chairman of the Thuong Tin People’s Committee, said the districtis one of the best performers in Hanoi in the OCOP programme when 152 of itsproducts have been rated under this programme while hundreds of others arebeing improved to meet OCOP standards.

Also on October 15, the municipal Department of Industry and Trade launched ashowroom in Bich Hoa commune of Thanh Oai district, which has long beenrenowned for such specialties as the Boi Khe and Bo Nau rice, Kim Duong orange,Uoc Le pork pies, Cu Da soybean jam, and Chuong village’s conical hats.

Manyof local products have been rated three - four stars under the OCOP programme, helpingimprove their value and make them more popular among consumers and visitors.

Hanoiis taking the lead nationwide in the number of OCOP products, with 1,649products of 426 businesses, cooperatives, and business households given stars. Theyinclude four products rated five stars, 1,098 othersrated four stars, and 534 rated three stars. There are 1,071 food products (65%of the total), 35 beverage, 17 herbal, 492 handicraft, and 34 fabric andapparel products.

So far, the city has developed about 60 OCOPshowrooms across 26 district-level localities. The sites display and sell notonly local products but also those of 25 other provinces and cities.

Authoritiessaid they will continue assisting with the opening of OCOP showrooms so that these productscan access more consumers city-wide. Distributors, shopping centres,supermarkets, grocery and handicraft stores and e-commerce platforms will beencouraged to tighten links with producers to boost sales of OCOP items.

By 2025, Hanoi looks to have an additional 2,000 OCOP products rated at least three stars, all communes that meetadvanced criteria of the new-style rural area building programme having OCOPproducts, and at least 70% of OCOP product makers being cooperatives,cooperative groups and businesses.

The OCOP programmewas initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2008,based on Japan’s “One Village, One Product” and Thailand’s “One Tambon, OneProduct” programmes. It is an economic development programme for rural areasand also to help implement the national target programme on new-style ruralarea building.

OCOP products are made based on the combination of localresources, traditional culture, and advanced technology, thus promoting productdiversification, quality, packaging, and origin traceability.

The programme has provided farmers with a chance to cometogether to form cooperatives, which in turn have enabled farmers to creategoods with better quality, design, and packaging that meet higher standards andmarket demand./.