Hanoi (VNA) – The northern province of Quang Ninh now has more than 500products developed by 189 companies, cooperatives and production facilitiesunder the “One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) programme, local data shows.

Ofthe total, 267 have been rated from three to five stars. Most of OCOP products win preference by customers and have gained a strong foothold in themarket, with many now available in foreign countries.

TheCOVID-19 pandemic has seriously disrupted production and supply chains, takinga heavy toll on the health of many OCOP producers, said Hoang Duc Kha, DeputyDirector of the Industry and Trade Promotion and Development Centre under theprovincial Department of Industry and Trade.

Hesaid Quang Ninh will selectively organise and attend trade promotion events inorder to stimulate domestic demand post-pandemic and boost sales of OCOPproducts, reviving local enterprises.

Khahighlighted an OCOP trade fair to be hosted by Quang Ninh for producers from northerncities and provinces on September 2 as one of the largest events. The fair willfeature more than 250 booths with thousands of OCOP products on display. It isalso expected to act as a platform for sellers and buyers to meet and formpartnerships.

Asimilar but smaller event will take place in Mong Cai, a city in Quang Ninhbordering China, in November. Featuring some 200 booths, the fair will providea chance for OCOP firms to boost sales and revenue, and connect with otherbusinesses.

Additionally,the province has scheduled a series of four to five week-long fairs to promoteOCOP products in urban areas and tourist destinations, such as Co To Island,Uong Bi and Cam Pha, where demand is high. A host of week-long festivals forproducts made in Vietnam will be held in the mountainous districts of Ba Cheand Binh Lieu, with around 30 – 35 booths to be installed.

QuangNinh is working to make OCOP an important economic development programme inassociation with new-style countryside building and agricultural restructuringduring the 2021-2025 period.

By2025, the province is set to have developed 300 new OCOP products, at least 250 ofwhich will be rated from three to five stars.

Between2017 and 2020, the local OCOP programme switched focus from quantity to qualityas more than 200 products were rated from three to five stars, which is believedto have helped improve rural living conditions and contributed to building new-stylerural areas.

QuangNinh, one of the three nuclei of the northern key economic region, hasimplemented the OCOP programme since 2013, and it is now taking the leadnationwide in this regard.

Thelocal OCOP programme entered a new phase in 2017 with the aim of developinglarge-scale concentrated production which focuses on diversifying andintensively processing products in value chains in order to increasebenefits for the local community.

Thecollective and private economic sectors were identified as an important drivingforce for this programme.

OCOP products have generated an average of 500 billion – 700 billion VND (22million – 31 million USD) in annual revenue for the province.

Achievementsin the OCOP programme have substantially contributed to the new-style ruralbuilding in Quang Ninh.

Asa result, per capita income in local rural areas rose to 47 million VND in 2020from 10.5 million VND in 2010.

TheOCOP was initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in2008, based on Japan’s “One Village, One Product” and Thailand’s “One Tambon,One Product” programmes. It is an economic development programme for ruralareas and focuses on increasing internal power and values, and is also to helpwith the national target programme on new-style rural area building./.