The specifically identified products of Hà Tiên City showcased at the Kiên Giang Women Start - up and Innovation Festival and “One Commune, One Product” Contest in Kiên Giang Province last year. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạt

KIÊN GIANG — The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Kiên Giang will spend more than VNĐ326 billion (US$14 million) to implement the One Commune, One Product programme in 2019 – 25.

Of the amount, VNĐ119 billion will come from the Government and the rest from other stakeholders in the programme launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

It aims to develop one staple product in each commune around the country.

Kiên Giang is implementing it in 145 communes, wards and towns, with registered business households, production establishments, co-operative groups, co-operatives, and companies participating, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Its OCOP products are commercial products and services like food and beverages, medicinal herbs, handicrafts and home decoration, and rural tourism services and sales.

The programme ranks them on a scale of five stars, with a five-star being the highest.

The province wants to have one or two of its current OCOP products meeting provincial five-star standards this year, and by 2025 having 25 to 30 of provincial five-star standards and five of national five-star standards.

To implement the programme, the People’s Committee has ordered relevant agencies and local authorities to increase the dissemination of information about the programme in the community.

The province plans to consolidate the management of the programme and provide human resources training to implement it, step up research and use advanced techniques to produce OCOP products.

Đỗ Thanh Bình, deputy chairman of the People’s Committee, said the province aims to develop production in rural areas to enable industrialisation and modernisation of agriculture and rural areas.

It would enable the appropriate use of labour in rural areas, protect the environment and preserve traditional values, he said.

It would contribute to restructuring agriculture, changing the economic structure and improving the incomes and thus lives of rural people, he added. – VNS