Ha Tinh province’s OCOP products reach international markets

Nguyen Lam Cooperative in Ky Giang commune, Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh province exported its first batch of sesame rice cakes to the Japanese market at the end of 2021. This event marked a milestone in Vietnamese OCOP products’ journey to the international market.

According to Mr. Le Van Duan, Director of Nguyen Lam Cooperative, the Japanese market imposes strict requirements on its imported products in terms of input materials, quality, design, and especially food hygiene and safety. As a result, the cooperative’s production process of sesame rice cake is thoroughly examined, monitored and tested by its partners.

“I spent a lot of time on social networks and connecting with friends who are studying and working in Japan in order to find an export partner in the Japanese market. I also actively marketed my products to potential partners. The cooperative’s first shipment to Japan was worth more than 230 million VND” Mr. Duan recalled.

Sesame rice cake production has been a traditional profession in Mr. Duan’s family for many generations. However, the product has only been distributed within Ky Anh district in the past. His cooperative registered to participate in the local OCOP Program in 2020 and achieved a 3-star certification the same year.

After joining the OCOP program, the cooperative has shifted its focus to the production process, packaging and labeling, and product promotion and marketing. Subsequently, the cooperative’s output improved significantly, and its products were sold outside of the province as well as foreign countries.

“After our sesame rice cakes reach the international market, the average annual revenue of the cooperative ranges from 2.7 to 4 billion VND. The cooperative also created an abundant source of employment for local workers with an average income of at least 5 million VND per month. So far, we have expanded the market to Russia and plan to approach South Korea and Taiwan in the near future”, shared Mr. Duan.

Similar to Nguyen Lam sesame rice cake, Luan Nghiep fish sauce has expanded outside of its own province to reach markets in Russia and potentially Australia.

Ms. Dang Thi Luan is responsible for the manufacture and purchase of various types of seafood, particularly fish sauce, in Chien Thang Seafood Purchasing and Processing Cooperative, Ky Ninh Commune, Ky Anh Town. Her daughter, Ms. Tran Tam Binh, is responsible for the consumption and development of products.

With respect to the traditional recipes as well as the willingness to study and conduct methodical investment in modern fish sauce processing, Ms. Luan has rapidly expanded her Luan Nghiep fish sauce brand. She currently owns a production facility that is approximately 1,500 square meters in size and produces between 40,000 and 50,000 liters of fish sauce annually.

According to Ms. Luan, she finds happiness in the preservation and development of the traditional fish sauce processing profession in addition to raising her family and creating jobs for local workers. On the other hand, she aims to utilize the natural aquatic resources in the waters of her hometown.

“As a daughter of Ky Ninh commune, I learned to appreciate the efforts of my hometown’s fishermen. When our production scale was still relatively small, I felt extremely sorry that I could only purchase a small portion of the local delicious fresh fish and shrimp catches. When I expanded our production scale and subsequently our purchases, I feel that my work is much more meaningful”, shared Ms. Luan.

According to Mr. Ngo Dinh Long, Deputy Chief of Ha Tinh province’s New Rural Office, the province has connected and coordinated with the Ministry of Industry and Trade after conquering the domestic market. Subsequently, livestream programs were regularly held on e-commerce platforms to promote key products and effectively deploy the model of a “Vietnam online stall” for key agricultural products. As a result, many Ha Tinh province’s OCOP products have expanded their target markets.

Multiple products that were previously only consumed locally are now available in major provinces and cities throughout Vietnam with the help of the Big C and Vinmart supermarket chains; the e-commerce platform of Voso, Postmart, Sendo, Shopee among many others.

Namely, Ha Tinh province has six 3- and 4-star OCOP products ready for export, including: Anh Thu ram cake from Thach Ha district and Nam Chi ram cake were exported to the South Korean market; Ba Huong candy from Huong Son district were exported to New Zealand market; Nguyen Lam sesame rice cake from Ky Anh district were exported to the Russian and Japanese market; Mai Dung jellyfish from Thach Ha district were exported to the Japanese market; Luan Nghiep fish sauce from Ky Anh town were exported to the Russian market.

“Regarding plans for the immediate future, We aim to consult and support OCOP facilities that are able to expand their production scale towards export; organize trade promotion activities, with a focus on digital platforms, e-commerce trading floors; support producers in expanding and searching for new potential markets to introduce and sell their products”, Mr. Long highlighted the long-term strategy of developing local OCOP products.

Ha Tinh province currently has 237 OCOP products; including 11 4-star products and 226 3-star products. These products have better quality, more aesthetically pleasing packaging, and consumer confidence thanks to the OCOP certification.