Taking advantage of the forest, for many years, farmers in Hop Thanh commune (Phu Luong) have developed beekeeping for honey. From beekeeping and production in the traditional way,, gradually the beekeeping households here joined together to form cooperative groups and in July 2023, Hop Thanh Honey Bee Cooperative was established.
To date, Hop Thanh Honey Bee Cooperative has 7 members, with a scale of raising nearly 1,000 bee colonies. The cooperative’s Nui Chua honey product has been certified to meet VietGAP standards, honored as a typical agricultural product in Thai Nguyen province for the 6th time in 2023. This product has just been evaluated and scored as 3-star OCOP, becoming the first agricultural product of the commune to be recognized with this brand.
Mr. Ma Van Ha, Director of Hop Thanh Honey Bee Cooperative, said: During the process of establishing and developing the cooperative, we always received support from specialized agencies, especially at Farmers’ Associations at all levels in establishing collective economic model, training on knowledge and production processes according to VietGAP standards, support in making traceability stamps and product labels and receiving 1,800 glass bottles.
Along with the products of Hop Thanh Honey Bee Cooperative, there are many types of agricultural products in the province that have been supported by Farmers’ Associations at all levels to successfully build brands. From 2018 up to now, the Provincial People’s Committee has organized to honor 158 typical agricultural products of the province. Through models and projects funded by the Farmers Support Fund, a number of products have been recognized as 4 and 5 star OCOP products.
Mr. Ngo The Hoan, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Association, said: Recognizing the importance of building brands for agricultural products, the Association has coordinated with the Department of Science and Technology and specialized agencies to support for cooperatives and cooperative groups to build, develop and use codes, barcodes, geographical indications, and collective marks in agricultural production; Build an information system connecting supply and demand for production and consumption of agricultural products to promote competitiveness and value of specialty agricultural products, effectively organize production and develop markets on the basis of advantages in production conditions and indigenous culture, actively contributing to building new rural areas and implementing the One Commune, One Product Program (OCOP).
In the coming time, the Provincial People’s Congress will continue to coordinate with authorities to organize training classes and raise awareness for officials, members, and farmers on promoting the application of science and technology; developing sustainable agricultural and rural areas; Guiding and mobilizing members to build and replicate safe and effective production models; Making recommendations to relevant agencies to support funding for product branding.