OCOP Program Scaled up

Six provinces have appraised and recognized OCOP products, said the Central Coordination Office for New Countryside. Up to 53 provinces have adopted plans and projects to standardize the quality so as to have over 3,500 certified OCOP products by 2020.

Many localities have issued specific mechanisms and policies to speed up the implementation of the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program, including Quang Ninh, Quang Nam, Lam Dong, Ha Nam, Bac Kan, Son La and Hoa Binh. Bac Kan is the first province in the country to mobilize and establish the OCOP Entrepreneurs Association.

The OCOP Program aims to develop the rural economy by enhancing internal resources and increasing the added economic value. This is a solution and task to carry out the National Target Program on New Countryside Construction. The focus of the OCOP Program is developing agricultural, non-agricultural products and services of local advantages for value chains, led by private economic sectors (enterprises and households) and collective economy. However, according to the Central Coordination Office for New Countryside, although three documents pressing on the implementation of the OCOP Program, the progress was still seen slow in some provinces and cities. Typical examples include Hanoi, Lang Son, Lai Chau, Tay Ninh, An Giang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Cao Bang, Thai Binh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc and Kien Giang.

The slowness is attributed to insufficient awareness and improper direction of local leaders and insufficient consultants. Besides, the progress of launching OCOP product and OCOP logo classification criteria is slower than expected because this set of criteria is complex. A lot of changes have been made to these criteria following remarks and opinions from expert agencies.

Dinh Bao