Hanoi Expands Market Opportunities for OCOP Products

Hanoi has emerged as a leader in the number of OCOP (One Commune One Product) products, with the program significantly boosting the city's agricultural sector. The success of the OCOP program has injected a "fresh breeze" into local agricultural production and development.

Several Hanoi’s OCOP products are targeting foreign markets

According to statistics, Hanoi has 2,711 OCOP products rated 3 stars or higher. In recent years, Hanoi has constantly defined developing rural industries and implementing the OCOP Program as an important, significant task to arouse rural potential advantages and increase incomes for people. This has helped continue agricultural restructuring together with developing cottage industries, handicraft industries, services and rural tourism and fostered sustainable rural economic development.

Digital application to boost OCOP consumption

Nguyen Van Chi, Standing Deputy Chief of the Hanoi Coordination Office for New Rural Development, said: We are now entering the digital era. OCOP entities need to grasp and transform strongly to reach consumers more widely. In addition to traditional physical sales, it is necessary to increase online and livestreamed sales through social networking platforms such as Facebook, Fanpage, App Store, Google Play and Zalo.

Sharing his selling experience on social networking platforms, Mr. Phan Trung Kien, Director of Thang Long Agriculture High-Technology Joint Stock Company, said that his company focuses on branding, explaining that, to sell effectively, the first thing to do is to change the packaging and labelling. The company offers a diverse range of products under the "Sa Du Ca Gai Leo" brand, featuring Solanum procumbens, a plant from the nightshade family. Their product lineup includes Pure Ca Gai Leo, Ca Gai Leo filter bags, Ca Gai Leo soluble powder, and Ca Gai Leo capsules. These products are known for their liver-cooling and detoxifying effects, with detailed descriptions of their benefits available on the labels for consumer reference. Each product is equipped with a barcode, ensuring easy traceability of origin and earning customer trust.

“In addition to product development, we have built an online salesforce and a livestreaming force and constructed online marketing channels such as Facebook pages like SADU, SADU Ca Gai Leo Tea and SADU Ca Gai Leo Filter Bags. I am an agricultural engineer, but I also learnt how to sell products via livestreaming, which was quite difficult. For us, online has become a main selling channel because it is easier to reach customers and costs less. However, online selling is not easy. We used to make VND3 billion from online sales but we still suffered a loss. Currently, SADU Ca Gai Leo (Solanum procumbens) tea has secured a relatively solid position in the market. The average revenue of this product is about VND1 billion a month. Therefore, I think that, for OCOP entities, digital application is extremely necessary. But to adopt it, they must break the conservative mindset in business, grasp and listen to the market to update products; must dare to invest and accept risks; and of course, must base on careful research and knowledge to make appropriate investment decisions,” he added.

Pioneering OCOP export

To widely sell OCOP products in domestic and foreign markets, Hanoi has reorganized production, built and developed material areas and improved product quality. At the same time, the city has enhanced the connection among companies, cooperatives and farmers in production and consumption to sharpen competitiveness and add more value to OCOP products

However, to "set foot" more deeply into the international market, Hanoi's OCOP products must have their existing limitations addressed. Ngo Van Ngon, Deputy Chief of the Hanoi Coordination Office for New Rural Development, said: "Through OCOP product assessment and classification, we found that the packaging of many products is still simple; the product narrative remains sketchy, unlinked to history and culture; and OCOP producers do not know how to promote trade among other factors."

Nguyen Minh Tien, Director of the Trade Promotion Center for Agriculture (Agritrade) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: OCOP products have a foothold in the domestic market and can completely reach out to the world. Importantly, we must know how to tell the product story, differentiate products and understand consumer sentiment and demand in the world so as to make what the market needs instead of what we have. Therefore, traditional craft villages and OCOP producers should interact with the world market to have appropriate production and business applications. In 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will select typical OCOP products for export support. Agritrade will collaborate with relevant agencies and units to provide comprehensive training for OCOP producers. This training will cover topics such as business administration, product design and packaging, market positioning, and sales channel development, among other key areas.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chi said: To increase the value of OCOP products and sustainable development and build an export-driven value chain, Hanoi remains dedicated to supporting OCOP producers in refining their production processes, enhancing product quality and design, and aiding individual entities and craft villages. The city also focuses on boosting trade promotion to help OCOP products develop into strong brands that are recognized and sought after by both domestic and international consumers. Hanoi will develop its OCOP products not only as symbols of the capital but also as leading exports representing Vietnam on the global stage.

By Bao Dan, Vietnam Business Forum