Soc Son District’s OCOP Products Drive Rural Economic Development

Soc Son district has successfully carried out the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program and now has 76 OCOP products certified by the Hanoi People’s Committee, including 10 three-star products and 66 four-star products. The OCOP products have created momentum for agricultural, farmer and rural development, and helped successfully implement the New Rural Development Program in the district.

Soc Son’s rice painting, a distinctive and exquisite art form that employs rice grains as the primary material, is a novel and effective method to utilize rice, as well as to showcase and export Vietnam’s rice culture to the world

High-quality development

Soc Son district’s OCOP products are largely involved in two strong areas: food processing (accounting for 84.3%), and handicrafts and decorations (15.7%). Although it does not have as many craft villages as other districts in Hanoi, its handicrafts, fine-art articles and decorations in carpentry villages have been supported for development, with many certified OCOP products.

Thanh Xuan Clean Organic Agriculture Service Cooperative is seen as one of the pioneers in developing OCOP products in Soc Son district. In the past two years, this cooperative has had nearly 20 OCOP products certified 3-star class or higher. Meanwhile, KMS Investment, Production and Trading Joint Stock Company also produces a variety of mushroom products certified 4-star OCOP.

 Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan, owner of the Tri Lan high-end artistic furniture factory that makes OCOP products certified 3-star class by Hanoi City, said: “In the past, we mainly made customized products ordered by customers. Since we participated in the OCOP Program, with support from the Soc Son district government, our factory has studied and analyzed products suitable for customers’ tastes to compete and expand the output. Our products become more known to consumers when they appear at trade fairs and on websites.”

To diversify and sustain the development of One Commune One Product (OCOP) products and revitalize local craft villages, Soc Son district has mobilized resources to open training courses for producers to deal with difficulties in OCOP development. At the same time, the district has supported the cost of printing stamps, labels and QR codes, building brands and bringing OCOP products to trade promotion, advertising and product introduction events. On January 21, 2022, Soc Son officially launched the website socsonshop.com to promote and introduce local products, especially OCOP products.

Ms. Hoang Thi Ha, Director of Soc Son Economic Department, said that certified OCOP products have made progress in quality and designs, labeling conditions and regulations and product traceability. Many new OCOP producers have actively gained experience, changed their thinking and production methods, and developed large-scale modern facilities to turn out professional and quality products. As a result, products are increasingly trusted by consumers. Many small producers have managed to expand their markets, and even export their products to international markets after they make OCOP products.

Innovation for sustainable development

So far in 2023, Soc Son district has endeavored to have 30 more OCOP products graded 3-star or higher. By 2025, the district will have 200 OCOP products and build at least one center for creative OCOP and craft design introduction, promotion and market. The district will align OCOP development with tourism.

The Soc Son e-commerce website has a separate section for displaying and selling rice paintings, which are 4-star OCOP products made by Van Quan facility located in Dong Xuan commune, Soc Son district. The facility is considered a leading light of OCOP development in the district. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Van, owner of Van Quan production facility, the facility has been diligent and creative to turn rice into unique and sophisticated artworks and generated part-time jobs for many unemployed workers.

To make rice yellowish, it needs to be roasted for 30 minutes. To make it dark brown, it must be roasted for six hours. It will turn dark black if it is roasted longer, up to 7-8 hours. To make the roasted rice beautifully colored and shiny, the roasting technique must be firm and attention must be paid. Notably, no coloring agents are used because the rice will become moldy and easily fade. With meticulous study and experience with a lot of practice, she can make 42 different colors. To date, Van Quan rice paintings are not only widely known in the country but also in foreign countries. Many organizations have ordered rice paintings as gifts. A painting is sold for VND120,000-300,000, with some valued at VND25 million apiece.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chi, Deputy Director of the Standing Board of the Hanoi Coordination Office for New Rural Development, said that the rice painting made by Van’s facility is a very unique product created from creative ideas and the talented hands of farmers. In addition to rural economic development, rice painting is also a very respectable way to uphold Vietnamese culture. Innovative startup ideas as above are essential to add colors to the rural economy in Soc Son district.

The Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Hanoi Coordination Office for New Rural Development will always support producers to complete, develop and manage product quality; carry out advertising and trade promotion; apply science and technology to production; and develop chain links and raw material supply sources to unlock the local potential to make distinctive traditional products and promote rural economic development toward sustainable development.

By Ngoc Minh, Vietnam Business Forum