Participants at a recent workshop on promoting Hà Nôi's handicrafts and OCOP products in Thạch Thất District. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — In recent years, craft villages in Hà Nội's Thạch Thất District have played an important role in economic restructuring, job creation, and income increase for workers.

To help craft villages promote their effectiveness, Thạch Thất District has supported them in participating in the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Programme to promote brands and improve the quality and value of their products.

Kiều Đức Học from Dai Viet Arts Export Co in Bình Phú Commune, Thạch Thất District said local bamboo and rattan craft villages have a long history and are famous for hundreds of products with beautiful and exquisite designs. Many of them have been recognised as OCOP products, such as his firm's Bình Phú rattan and bamboo products which have been exported to many countries such as Japan, China, South Korea, the Netherlands, and Germany thanks to their high applicability, suitable for customers' tastes.

Vũ Thị Quý, the owner of a facility providing chè kho (mung bean pudding) in Đại Đồng commune, said that Đại Đồng chè kho was recognised as an OCOP product in 2020. It has been known to many consumers through promotion activities at trade fairs hosted by the Coordination Office of the New-Style Rural Development Programme of Hà Nội and the People's Committee of Thạch Thất District.

Quý said her facility earns revenue of about VNĐ200 million (over US$8,500) per year, creating regular jobs for nearly a dozen local workers.

Nguyễn Văn Chí, Deputy Chief of the Standing Office of Coordination Office of the New-Style Rural Development Programme of Hà Nội delivered his speech at the workshop. — VNA/VNS Photo

Meanwhile, Nguyễn Trung Đức in the district's Canh Nậu Commune, said that his family's furniture business specialises in producing wooden sofas, clocks, mahogany, tea cabinets, and worship items for customers in Hà Nội and neighboring localities, with an annual turnover of VNĐ2 billion.

To help his facility expand its market and increase product value, the district has offered assistance in building brands and participating in the OCOP Programme, Đức said, expressing his hope that after his facility's wooden products have been achieved 4-star OCOP certification, its revenue will likely to increase to VNĐ4-5 billion annually.

Thạch Thất District is now home to 50 craft villages that have about 14,000 production households, recruiting over 37,000 workers. Of these, 10 craft villages have been recognised as traditional craft ones, said head of the Thạch Thất District Economic Department.

These traditional craft villages have made an important contribution to its economic restructuring, job creation, and income increase for workers, Lượng said.

He added that many OCOP products of craft villages have been praised by consumers for their quality such as wooden sofas, watches, and altars made by Nguyễn Trung Đức business household in Canh Nậu Commune and organic vegetables provided by Hoa Viên Farm in Yên Bình Commune.

Workers of Dai Viet Arts Export Co in Bình Phú Commune, Thạch Thất District. — VNA/VNS Photo

Vice chairman of Thạch Thất District People's Committee Nguyễn Kim Loan considered promoting the OCOP programme one of the key tasks to develop the rural economy and improve farmers' lives.

To do so, his district will continue to develop craft villages while constantly improving the villages' product designs and quality.

In addition, the district has also offered financial support in vocational training, skill improvement, and trade promotion typically for OCOP products.

Besides production areas that have been recognised by local authorities, the district will develop more new ones to meet the living and daily needs of local people, striving for the average income of laborers in the district craft villages from VNĐ6 million to VNĐ10 million each person each month.

According to Nguyễn Văn Chí, Deputy Chief of the Standing Office of Coordination Office of the New-Style Rural Development Programme of Hà Nội, Thạch Thất is one of the districts which has the highest number of OCOP products with 142 products. Of the total, 114 products have archived 4-star OCOP certification and 28 products have won 3-star OCOP certification.

These OCOP products have many improvements in quality, designs, packaging, the guarantee of conditions, and regulations, Chí said, adding that they are also typical products, which are the strengths of each locality in the district, capable of expanding and linking production to expand the market.

For craft villages in the district, their OCOP products will open up new opportunities in production, business, and market development at home and abroad.

Bình Phú rattan and bamboo products have been exported to many countries such as Japan, China, South Korea, the Netherlands, and Germany thanks to their high applicability, suitable for customers' tastes.— VNA/VNS Photo

To facilitate OCOP products in the district and Hà Nội, the city has launched dozens of points of sale to introduce OCOP products.

The district is striving to have 300 products that can archive 3 to 5-star OCOP certification by 2025. That will make it a bright spot in the implementation of Hà Nội's OCOP programme.

The article is published under the coordination of the Coordination Office of the New-Style Rural Development Programme in Hà Nội. — VNS