Spreading OCOP Program in the Northern Mountainous Region

The Central Steering Committee for the National Target Program for New Countryside Construction recently held a conference in Hoa Binh province to review 10 years of implementation in the Northern mountainous region.

At the conference, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong, Deputy Director of the Central Steering Committee, said the northern mountainous region consists of 14 provinces, accounting for 28.75% of the country’s total area. More than 30 ethnic groups are living together, each of whom has their own distinctive cultural identity. This area is of particular importance to the nation’s society, economy, security and defense; plays a decisive role in the ecological environment of the whole northern region; and has potential and advantages in agriculture, forestry, hydropower, mining, tourism and border economy. But, this region also features complex natural terrain, dangerous partition, poor technical infrastructure, and slow socioeconomic development.

In the northern mountainous region, the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program is showing a clearer role in building brands and linking consumption and export of agricultural products. Currently, 10 out of 14 provinces have adopted the OCOP Program to 2020, with 577 products approved. Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue said that the northern mountainous region is poor but it has still obtained encouraging results which will be spread across the region, especially remote villages.

He said that OCOP Program has witnessed spectacular development. After just over a year of deployment, the region has developed 577 products, including many being well-branded, high-quality products with reasonable price, well accepted by the market. “OCOP Program is one driving force that revitalizes the new countryside construction program,” added the Deputy Prime Minister. He asked central and local agencies to look over 10 years of practice to review mechanisms, policies and shortcomings to find ways to address emerging issues.

He affirmed the correctness of Resolution 26 on agriculture, countryside and farmer. “The three players are strategic. Rural construction is fundamental, agricultural restructuring is the key, and the farmer is the subject.” Since then, it has affirmed outstanding achievements for more than nine years of building the new countryside in the northern mountainous region. However, Deputy PM Hue noted that the region's achievements are still modest as compared to the whole country.

New countryside construction is a long process, with a starting point but without an ending point. Therefore, it must focus in nature and regard improving people’s livelihoods as the ultimate goal. He said that the new countryside construction outcome is an accurate measure of the concern of local authorities for people. Hence, more attention must be paid to consolidating new countryside construction at all levels to deliver the goal of new countryside construction for better rural people’s life.

Thanh Nga