Hanoi (VNA) – The northeastern provinceof Quang Ninh is developing its own brands through the One Commune One Product(OCOP) programme.

The programme was initiated by the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development in 2008, following the model of Japan’s OneVillage One Product (OVOP) and Thailand’s One Town One Product (OTOP) drives.

Quang Ninh was the first locality in Vietnam toimplement the programme in 2013. Sincethen, 180 businesses, cooperatives, and working groups have been established orregistered to join the programme, with a total of 210 products and groups ofproducts and services granted the OCOP trademark, including 99 meeting 3-5 starstandards.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’sCommittee Dang Huy Hau said Quang Ninh wants to, through the programme,leverage on its advantages in natural resources, culture and rural labour forthe creation of high-quality products to increase incomes and generate jobs forlocal residents as well as achieve sustainable development.

The OCOP programme is designated to help developcomplete production and value chains from production, harvesting, processingand consumption for local specialties and products, he said.

Particularly, the OCOP brand is registered asintellectual property and printed on all products, according to Hau.

Chairman of Quang Ninh Alliance of CooperativesNguyen Van Nghi said the province has encouraged the participation ofcooperatives in the OCOP programme, as well as the transformation ofcooperatives in line with the 2012 Law on Cooperatives to receive newpreferential treatment and improve their operational efficiency.

In addition, 29cooperatives have been established through the OCOP.

Nghi said the law has created a legal frameworkfor cooperatives to develop sustainably and diversify production models, thuscontributing to poverty reduction.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Ngoc Bao, Chairman of VietnamCooperatives Alliance, recognized the effective implementation of the OCOP inQuang Ninh with the establishment of new cooperatives. 

Particularly, there is connectivity amongbusinesses, he said.

However, some cooperatives are operating at asmall scale, hence their products are less competitive, he added.

Vu Duc Phu, Director of Phu Hai Production andIndustrial Services Cooperative, advised cooperatives to work together in buildinga value chain, which is useful for creating high-quality products and securing theirfoothold in the market.

Quang Ninh plans to develop 130 existing OCOPproducts and 120 new ones in the near future, he said.

OCOP is an economic development programme inrural areas focusing on increasing internal power and values, contributing tothe implementation of the National Target Programme on New Rural Developmentfor 2016-2020. 

Groups of goods and services defined in theprogramme include food (fresh and processed farm produce); beverages (alcoholicand non-alcoholic drinking); medicinal herbs (products made from herbal plants);fabric and textiles (products made from cotton and yarn); souvenirs - furniture- decorations (products made from wood, fiber, rattan, metal and ceramics); andrural tourism services and sales (services for sightseeing, tourism, study,research). 

The overall objective of the programme is todevelop forms of production organisation and business (with the priority willbe given to developing cooperatives and small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs), towards producing traditional products and developing  serviceswith high competitiveness in the domestic and international markets, thuspromoting rural economy and the national agriculture industrialisation andmoderlisation. 

According to the Ministry of Agriculture andRural Development, nearly 6,010 enterprises, cooperatives, working groups andbusiness households are producing 4,823 products in six commodity groups. 

Specifically, there are 2,584 products in food,1,041 in beverages, 231 in herbals, 186 in fabric and garment, 580 in souvenirs– interior décor, 201 in rural tourism services. However, only 1,086 productsregister for quality standards and 695 products register for intellectualproperty protection. 

As of late April, 60 out of 63 cities andprovinces nationwide built the frame OCOP programme at the provincial level, 30of which already completed the programme design and 28 others are collectingfeedback before approval.-VNA