Many areas need improvement to enhance export capacity for the OCOP products

	OCOP products promoted on e-commerce platform
	Shake hands to bring OCOP products to the world market

Customers are exploring the OCOP products in Tien Giang. Photo: T.M

On August 29th, the People's Committee of Tien Giang Province organized the Tien Giang 2023 Trade Promotion Conference and a week to introduce their OCOP and unique products in HCM City.

Output has not met expectations

At the event, Tran Van Dung, Deputy Permanent Chairman of the People's Committee of Tien Giang Province, stated that Tien Giang's agricultural and aquatic products have affirmed their brand and quality in domestic and international markets. Their value and production have increased rapidly over the years, positively contributing to the province's economic growth. However, for many years, the consumption of Tien Giang's agricultural products has faced difficulties due to limited promotion and product introduction efforts.

Tien Giang has 207 OCOP products, including 95 with a four-star rating, 112 with a three-star rating, and five products currently proposed for a five-star rating by the province.

After being assessed and ranked, many outstanding OCOP products from Tien Giang have expanded their market presence and secured large-volume contracts with retail units. However, as a general assessment, the production scale, production management, and business capabilities of cooperatives, enterprises, and individual business owners involved in OCOP products are still small. There is a passive development attitude, limited knowledge about the products, and weak research and development capabilities, resulting in low product productivity, quality, and quantity. This limits the competitiveness of the products, and the promotion and consumption of OCOP products have not met expectations.

From a retail perspective, Do Thi Dau, Head of the Retail Management Board at SATRA, stated that SATRA was currently supplying a wide range of OCOP products, such as spices, dried noodles, seafood, fresh noodles, and wild vegetables, to consumers through the SATRA retail system. Revenue in the first eight months of 2023 reached over VND5 billion. Consumers have highly praised the quality and value of the OCOP products.

However, alongside the successes achieved, Dau pointed out that SATRA also faced some difficulties and challenges in connecting and supporting the consumption of OCOP products.

Specifically, consumers do not have a clear understanding of the OCOP products, so they do not differentiate between and accept the OCOP products with higher prices compared to regular products of the same type. Many local companies and producers do not have sufficient information about the necessary documentation related to their products when introducing them into supermarkets and convenience stores for consumption. Consequently, they fail to provide complete product documentation when establishing cooperative partnerships. As a result, only a few businesses have met the conditions to sell their products through the SATRA retail system.

Dau also highlighted that some small-scale companies, business households, and production facilities have low production capacities, making selling their products through the SATRA retail system challenging. The OCOP products still lack diversity in terms of types, designs, packaging, and labels and have not created differentiation or attraction for consumers.

Standardization of quality and packaging innovation needed

To overcome the limitations of the OCOP products and improve the efficiency of distribution and consumption, Dau believed that it was essential to enhance widespread communication and promotion efforts aimed at consumers to convey the significance, value, and quality of the OCOP products. This will increase consumer awareness and positive attitudes toward the OCOP products. Additionally, there is a need to promote developing and applying quality and food safety standards for OCOP products while enhancing local businesses' and production units' quality management capabilities.

Enterprises and OCOP product producers also need support in designing packaging, labels, and logos to differentiate and attract consumers. Research, development, and innovation of OCOP products in line with market trends and consumer demands are crucial to creating diversity and variety in the OCOP product types and designs.

Speaking at the conference, Le Hoang Tai, Deputy Director of the Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, stated that to diversify the export market and boost the export promotion of local OCOP products, the Trade Promotion Agency would continue to collaborate with industry associations, both at the central and local levels, including Tien Giang to focus on implementing various forms of trade promotion. Specifically, this includes participating in international trade missions, welcoming foreign importers to Vietnam for purchasing, attending reputable international trade fairs and exhibitions, and organizing international industry conferences in Vietnam.

The Trade Promotion Agency will provide updated market information and policy advice for entering the global market through monthly trade promotion meetings with Vietnam's trade offices abroad. Online export consultation programs featuring domestic and international experts and brand promotion and geographical guidance for Vietnam's product strengths will be offered.