Products registered under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) certification programme in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City aims to register at least 163 new products for the One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme in 2026 – a national certification programme for high quality agricultural products.

The target was announced by the city’s Rural Development Sub-department, under the Department of Agriculture and Environment, at the 2025 OCOP Product Certification Ceremony held on January 7.

According to Vũ Ngọc Đăng, head of the Rural Development Sub-department, the city currently has more than 1,000 OCOP products developed by 416 businesses, of which 220 have received four-star ratings.

Following the expansion of administrative boundaries, the city now has greater potential to scale up OCOP development, supported by a larger raw material base and a strong consumer market.

HCM City is prioritising high-value and deeply-processed products that meet recognised standards such as organic certification, GlobalGAP and VietGAP, with the aim of improving competitiveness.

However, Đăng noted that the number of four-star products remains modest and the city has yet to record any five-star OCOP items. Many producers still face limitations in management capacity, production scale and stable material supply, making it difficult to meet the requirements of modern retail systems.

Despite good quality, many OCOP products suffer from low market recognition, which restricts expansion and wider distribution.

To address these challenges, the city will continue to support OCOP producers in improving production capacity, ensuring food safety, strengthening value-chain linkages and enhancing brand visibility.

Trần Văn Huệ, director of C.V.C Trading, Services and Manufacturing Co Ltd – whose artichoke tea has been rated three-star OCOP – said consumer feedback has been positive, but market expansion remains difficult, particularly when the company tries to enter large retail chains.

Other OCOP producers also acknowledged that trade promotion activities, fairs and exhibitions have helped raise awareness of OCOP products in the city. 

However, they stressed that long-term development will require changes in both management thinking and implementation methods, with greater focus on quality, market access and supply-chain links.

In 2025, HCM City officially recognised 45 OCOP products, including 19 four-star and 26 three-star items. This is seen as an important foundation for further expansion and quality improvement in the coming years.

Vũ Ngọc Đăng said the city’s OCOP programme will continue to move towards quality rather than quantity, with efforts focusing on key products, deep processing and organic production, alongside stronger trade promotion, packaging improvements and market expansion to ensure sustainable growth. — VNS