Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha gives a directive speech. Photo: Van Diep/VNA

Speaking at the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the OCOP Program plays an important role in increasing the value of agricultural products, promoting the commercialization of rural products, and helping farmers gradually participate in the global market. After a period of implementation, the program has created positive effects and spread strongly in the community.

However, in the new period, Decision No. 148/QD-TTg on approving the set of criteria and procedures for evaluating and classifying products under the One Commune One Product Program (Decision 148) needs to be improved to better suit local management capacity; while ensuring quality, food safety, intellectual property protection and OCOP product brands.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized: "OCOP is not only a local specialty product but also needs to reach the level of becoming a national brand." Products that meet national standards must be protected and supported to expand the international market. Therefore, the assessment and recognition must be organized in a professional, objective and unified manner.

Reporting at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Thanh Nam said that up to now, the country has 16,855 OCOP products with 3 stars or more, of which 76.2% are 3-star products, 22.7% are 4-star products and 126 products are 5-star products - recognized as national products. There are a total of 9,822 OCOP subjects, of which 32.9% are cooperatives, 25.3% are small enterprises, 33.5% are production households, business establishments and the rest are cooperative groups. Notably, up to 40% of subjects are women and 17.1% are ethnic minorities. Currently, more than 3,000 cooperatives have participated in the production of OCOP products.

OCOP products increasingly meet quality standards, food hygiene and safety, and designs suitable for domestic and international markets. However, in practice, there are still some difficulties such as lack of specialized staff, limitations in accessing credit, technology, and stable raw material areas...

Notably, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development proposed amending Decision 148 in the direction of transferring the authority to evaluate and classify 3-star OCOP products to ensure consistency, objectivity and enhance brand reputation.

Some opinions at the meeting said that some localities such as Ho Chi Minh City can be decentralized if they fully meet the organizational conditions and professional capacity.

According to Chairman of the Vietnam General Association of Agriculture and Rural Development Ho Xuan Hung, delegating authority to the provincial level is necessary to protect the reputation of the OCOP brand - which is being positioned as a national brand, carrying economic, cultural and foreign relations values.

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha agreed with the policy of evaluating OCOP products with 3 stars or higher to be implemented at the provincial level; at the same time, he requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to receive comments and promptly complete the draft amendment to Decision 148, submit it to the Prime Minister for promulgation, and avoid policy gaps.

In the long term, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will coordinate with ministries, branches, the General Association of Agriculture and Rural Development and localities to build a systematic OCOP Program with a long-term vision, converging all factors such as high quality, food safety, added value, market scale, geographical indications, brands, applying digital transformation and e-commerce technology.

“OCOP products must carry Vietnamese brands, be protected and promoted with appropriate policies. Each product needs to have its own story, associated with culture, history, food hygiene and safety, science and technology, and digital transformation,” the Deputy Prime Minister expressed his hope and stated that the ultimate goal is to build thousands of unique, different, internationally-standardized Vietnamese products and conquer the global market.

According to baotintuc.vn

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/kinh-te/hoan-thien-bo-tieu-chi-ocop-theo-huong-xay-dung-thuong-hieu-quoc-gia-dap-ung-yeu-cau-moi-155339.html