Noni juice made by SK Noni Trading Production Company Limited in Cà Mau Province’s Trần Văn Thời District has a four-star rating under the One Commune – One Product programme. — VNA/VNS Photo Huỳnh Anh

CÀ MAU — Cà Mau Province is taking measures to improve the quality of its products recognised by the national “One Commune – One Product” (OCOP) programme and promote their sales through modern distribution channels.

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province has 29 four-star and 113 three-star OCOP products.

It has none five-star, the highest level.

Nguyễn Văn Quân, deputy director of its provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province is helping producers upgrade their ratings to four- and five-star levels this year.

It expects to have 22 three-star and nine four-star products registering for upgrades, including at least one community-based tourism or ecotourism product or tourism site.

It also targets having at least half the producers selling their OCOP products through modern distribution channels such as supermarkets, convenience stores and e-commerce platforms.

The People’s Committee has tasked relevant departments and agencies to support producers’ efforts to set up modern production facilities, improve packaging and get necessary certification to enable exports.

With its diversified and abundant agricultural, forestry and seafood produce, the province has enormous potentials for developing OCOP products.

It has been implementing the programme for more than five years and has facilitated the setting up of co-operatives, co-operative groups and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Tân Phát Lợi Dried Shrimp Co-operative in Ngọc Hiển District’s Tân Ân Tây Commune has set up a website to sell dried shrimp, fermented fish and other products, enabling consumers easier access to them.

Bùi Văn Chương, its director, said the co-operative sells two to three tonnes of products a month and nearly 90 per cent of them on the website.

After OCOP products began to be sold online, their sales have increased by 20-30 per cent, according to producers.

Ngọc Hiển is the province’s southernmost district and a major seafood producer.

It has 21 three-star and one four-star OCOP products, including dried shrimp, shrimp chips, salted three-striped crab, and fermented fish.

Lê Hoài Phương, deputy head of the district Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the district has collaborated with relevant departments and agencies to teach producers online sales skills and help them register for opening bank payment accounts and online shops.

It has helped nine producers sell their OCOP products on e-commerce platforms, he said.

Cà Mau has 46 OCOP products on prestigious distribution channels, 140 on its e-commerce platform (madeincamau.com) and 57 on the Việt Nam Post Corporation’s e-commerce platform (buudien.vn). VNS