Mong people make OCOP products

Black chickens are raised on hills.

Meeting Mr. Giang A Vanh, Party cell secretary of Kham 2 village - the person who initiated the idea of developing the indigenous black chicken breed into an OCOP product, I was quite surprised when the batch of chickens he had just sold, after deducting investment and breeding costs, the profit was up to 200 million VND. With a fair amount of capital, Mr. Vanh plans to continue expanding investment and promoting the product. According to Mr. Vanh: "The most important thing is to find an outlet for households raising and developing the Kham black chicken breed. Once there is a market, there is no need to worry about the quality of our products not being competitive enough."

For a long time, people in some villages of Trung Ly commune have raised indigenous black chickens according to traditional practices, mainly for family needs. Through the research process, Mr. Vanh realized that the indigenous black chicken breed of the Mong ethnic group has high nutritional value and is favored by consumers. With the characteristics and climatic conditions of the highlands, the black chicken breed is not only a source of clean food, but also carries a strong national cultural identity. This is the potential to develop into a commodity product with a local brand, contributing to increasing income and affirming the value of agricultural products in the border area of Muong Lat.

From that awareness, in 2021, Mr. Vành had the idea of developing indigenous black chicken farming in a commodity direction. With a scale of 200 to 300 chickens per litter, he both sells commercial chickens and breeds them to provide breeds to people. Wishing to increase the value of the product, he boldly invested in a slaughterhouse that ensures hygiene, vacuum packaging, and meets food safety criteria. In addition, he also invested in an incubator to proactively provide breeds to farming households. From Mr. Vành's family model, more and more households in Kham 1 and Kham 2 villages have started raising indigenous black chickens in a concentrated manner. Thanks to that, Mr. Vành has the opportunity to link up with 21 other households to build a stable indigenous black chicken supply chain.

Mr. Giang Seo Vang, a native black chicken breeder in Kham 2 village, shared: “Before, I only raised a few chickens to serve my family’s meals. Seeing Mr. Vanh’s effective farming, I learned and followed suit. After only 1 year, my flock of native black chickens has grown to nearly a hundred, each batch selling for more than 10 million VND. Thanks to raising native black chickens, my family has an additional source of stable income, making life less difficult.”

After being recognized as a 3-star OCOP product in 2024, Trung Ly commune has encouraged people to invest in developing a flock of native black chickens, with a scale of nearly 1,000 chickens/batch. From there, it opens the "door" for local agricultural products to reach the market, contributing to creating jobs and increasing sustainable income for people.

The concern is that the consumption market barrier is not really stable. “We really need support to connect to the consumption market in big cities, supermarkets, and clean agricultural product stores. If there is a stable output, the people in the village will feel secure to develop and expand the scale,” said Giang A Vanh.

The success of the indigenous black chicken model in Trung Ly commune is not only an individual story, but also the result of policy support. Within the framework of the National Target Program for Socio -Economic Development of Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas, many support projects have been implemented in Muong Lat. A typical example is the project to support commercial black chicken farming for community groups in Pu Nhi, Trung Ly, and Tam Chung communes. With the Kham black chicken brand achieving a 3-star OCOP product, it is becoming a "fulcrum" for people in the border communes of Thanh Hoa to escape poverty.

Article and photos: Dinh Giang

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/nguoi-mong-lam-san-pham-ocop-252468.htm