In early August, members of the Phuoc Hung Agricultural Cooperative in Tuy Phuoc district took advantage of sunny weather to harvest four hectares of rice. The Cooperative also purchased rice from its members for a three-star OCOP product called "Phuoc Hung homeland rice".

To turn out the long, opaque, fragrant rice grains favored by consumers, the Phuoc Hung Agricultural Cooperative invested in a rice drying system and a modern rice milling and processing line.

Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, the Cooperative’s Deputy Director, said the rural people are hired to operate the mechanized production chain, adding that sowing seeds is done by drones and harvesting is done by combine harvesters.

He explained in details, “The rice is dried in a kiln with a capacity of 30 tons per batch. After drying, the rice is put into the warehouse and then impurities are winnowed, rice is whitened, polished, and packaged by a production chain. To create qualified OCOP products, we pay close attention to food hygiene and safety and strictly follow requirements of each stage from seeds to final products.”

The Loc Tin Organic Cooperative established in 2020 in Quang Tin hamlet, Tuy Phuoc district, produces health-benefitting nutrition products and fertilizers for crops and ornamental plants.

In four years the Cooperative has had five products recognized as three-star OCOP items, two of which – freeze-dried fish mint powder and cordyceps fish mint powder – are used by many people as dietary supplements.

The Loc Tin Organic Cooperative invested in one hectare of organic fish mint and modern machinery, said Pham Trung Chien, the Cooperative’s Director. Chien told VOV, “After being harvested, the fish mint undergoes preliminary processing. Fresh fish mint is scoured by an ozone machine to kill any bacteria before being dried. Before being put into a cold dryer, the product is spun by in a centrifuge to drain off the water.” He concluded that the technology preserves the original flavor and color of the product.

Binh Dinh now has 397 products ranked OCOP three stars or higher. The local households, cooperatives, and businesses involved in OCOP production pay much attention to quality control, brand building, trademarks, traceability, and IT-assisted management, sales, and value chains.  

The Binh Dinh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is working with the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, the Department of Science and Technology, and 11 districts, towns, and cities to select one product from each district-level unit to develop using advanced quality management. This is the foundation for creating a signature OCOP product and a raw material model associated with value chains for exports.

Tran Van Phuc, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that the locality will use machinery and technology to improve OCOP products.

“To achieve four-star certification or higher, departments, sectors, and especially the provincial People's Committee adopt incentives to support these items,” said Phuc, adding, “Binh Dinh has subsidized half the cost of tracing the origin of OCOP products. Such incentives have been effective and helped raise the value of OCOP products.”

The increased application of advanced production technology and the support of local authorities has helped business households, cooperatives, and enterprises in Binh Dinh increase profits and economic stability.