A grapefruit orchard belonging to the Mỹ Phong Co-operative in Mỹ Tho City, cultivated to Vietnamese good agricultural practices standards. – VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạt

ĐỒNG THÁP – Đồng Tháp Province is intensifying efforts to develop products recognised under the nation's One Commune-One Product (OCOP) programme by integrating them with community-based and agricultural tourism to boost their value and foster rural development.

As of last year, its OCOP-certified products comprised almost 12 per cent of the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta’s total, placing it third behind former Đồng Tháp and Trà Vinh provinces.

It has 351 of them made by 33 co-operatives and a co-operative group, 58 companies and 86 individual households.

They include one with a five-star rating, the highest level, while 17 others are considered potential five-star products, 64 have four stars and 269 have three.

Six tourism sites have been recognised under the programme, including the Ba Đức Ancient House and the Đồng Tâm Snake Farm, both rated four stars.

The province is assisting Đồng Tâm in meeting additional criteria to become a five-star site for community-based tourism.

The Thiên Ân Green Medicinal Tourism Site cultivates over 100 types of medicinal plants and offers visitors fresh herb-based foods and beverages, showcases cordyceps OCOP products and allows visitors to participate in activities such as incense making, farming, and biscuit baking.

Trần Thị Luôn, deputy director of Thiên Ân Cordyceps Limited Company, which owns this site, said: “Showcasing our OCOP products at our tourism site has helped promote and introduce them, creating a direct link with consumers.”

The Đông Nghi Agricultural Co-operative provides hands-on tourism at its goat farm, and tourists can experience farm life and enjoy six popular organic OCOP-certified goat milk products.

In Mỹ Tho City’s Thới Sơn Commune, the Kỳ Lân Honey Tea Site displays OCOP products and offers tourism experiences in fruit orchards, a traditional coconut wood house, and coconut candy and honey-making demonstrations.

Nguyễn Văn Thanh Sơn, its owner, said: “Thanks to the display area, visitors not only buy local specialities but also learn about them. This adds to diversifying tourism activities in Thới Sơn.”

Võ Văn Lập, deputy head of the province’s Sub-Department of Quality and Rural Development, said his agency has collaborated closely with community-based and agricultural tourism sites to promote OCOP products through the province's official tourism portal.

This facilitates business participation in the OCOP programme, and the sub-department is also supporting the improvement and enhancement of community-based, agricultural and rural tourism models, including homestays and farmstays, he said.

Đặng Văn Tuấn, deputy director of the former Đồng Tháp Province Department of Industry and Trade, said his agency has coordinated with relevant sectors to establish OCOP product display and sales points, assisting co-operatives and companies in selling the items.

He added that the province encourages businesses and co-operatives to invest in improving product quality and building brand names to enhance product value.

The province plans to further strengthen OCOP promotion at the commune level, train officials and producers and support the sales of OCOP products on e-commerce platforms such as buudien.vn and the province’s own e-commerce platform, according to its Department of Agriculture and Environment.

Efforts will continue to evaluate and upgrade OCOP product star ratings, provide branding and marketing support, and conduct post-certification checks to ensure quality and enhance the value of local agricultural products.

Tiền Giang has taken numerous measures to help agricultural co-operatives develop OCOP items, aiming for sustainable growth, brand building and greater sales.

The Department of Agriculture and Environment has identified linking agricultural co-operatives with the OCOP programme as a strategic priority.

Co-operatives play a crucial role in advancing agricultural production, forming sustainable value chains, enhancing product quality and transferring technology to farmers, according to the department.

After more than five years of implementing the OCOP programme, the province has achieved significant progress in the development of its collective economy.

At the end of last year it had 199 agricultural co-operatives with over 47,000 members.

Many farming models with value chains have been established, alongside key raw material zones serving both domestic and export markets.

Agricultural co-operatives have partnered with companies to develop OCOP products such as rice, fruits and vegetables.

For instance, the Mỹ Quới Agricultural Service Co-operative collaborates with enterprises to produce ST24 and Nàng Hoa 9 rice on 200-300ha annually. They have been recognised as four-star OCOP items.

The Hưng Thịnh Phát Clean Agricultural Co-operative and the Mỹ Tịnh An Co-operative collaborate with companies to grow OCOP-recognised dragon fruit to GlobalGAP standards, harvesting and selling around 3,000 tonnes a year.

The province will continue to assist co-operatives in improving their capacity, investing in infrastructure, adopting modern technologies, and developing clean production models.

It aims to develop exemplary co-operatives that inspire wider community engagement and contribute to the long-term success of the OCOP programme. – VNS