An orchard belonging to the Hùng Hòa Green Skin and Pink Flesh Grapefruit Co-Operative in Trà Vinh Province’s Tiểu Cần District. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Hòa

TRÀ VINH — Trà Vinh Province will help its farmers and farming establishments restructure agriculture and seek outlets for their produce.

A VNĐ50 billion (US$2.1 million) programme by the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province will provide financial support to 242 farming establishments that grow crops to Vietnamese good agricultural practices (VietGAP) standards and 52 others that grow clean vegetables and seek outlets.

It will also help farmers renovate 430ha of land under fruits, coconut and sugarcane, grow other high-value crops on 456ha of unproductive rice fields, develop and protect forests, and combat livestock and poultry diseases.

It will help off-shore fishing boat owners install vessel monitoring systems and provide financial support to producers participating in the national ‘One Commune-One Product’ (OCOP) programme.

Lê Thanh Bình, deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the aim is to restructure agricultural production towards sustainable development, protect the environment and improve the quality, value and competitiveness of agricultural products in 2021-25.

Trà Vinh plans to have at least 165 of its OCOP products rated three-star and above by 2025 and 50 per cent maintain or improve their star level by 2025.

OCOP includes commercial products and services such as food and beverages, handicrafts and rural tourism services, and are rated up to five stars.

The province now has 104 OCOP products.

The development of OCOP products also helps develop the rural economy and contributes to building new-style rural areas effectively and sustainably, Nguyễn Quỳnh Thiện, deputy chairman of the People’s Committee, said.

In the 2021-25 period, the province is providing financial support to OCOP producers to invest in production facilities, upgrade star levels, advertise their products, and promote sales.

It offers 50 per cent subsidies on buying facilities to produce OCOP products with a maximum of VNĐ300 million ($12,300).

It provides 100 per cent subsidies for designing packages and labels of up to VNĐ10 million ($410) per product.

OCOP producers are given VNĐ5 million ($210) if a product is upgraded to four-star and VNĐ10 million ($420) in the case of five-star.

The province targets at least 10 per cent of craft villages having OCOP products and 50 per cent of producers selling their products through super markets, convenience stores and e-commerce platforms by 2025. — VNS