Since late October, households, farms, and cooperatives in Cao Phong district, Hoa Binh province, have been rushing to harvest the 2023 - 2024 orange crop.
Farmers in Cao Phong town harvesting orange.
Cao Phong is now home to over 1,740 hectares of citrus trees, including more than 1,350 hectares of orange, of which 536 hectares have followed VietGAP standards.
As one of the cooperatives that are striving to build the Cao Phong organic orange brand, the 3T Cao Phong Agricultural Product Cooperative in the township has applied the VietGAP farming methods over the past years.
Its Director Vu Thi Le Thuy said member households harvest orange daily to ensure the fruit is always fresh, meeting orders placed via Zalo, Facebook, and even e-commerce platforms. The cooperative has harvested over 10% of its area so far.
A member of the Orange Growers' Association of Cao Phong township, Bui Thi Lan has been busy cutting oranges to deliver to her customers since the new crop began.
Bui Van Dan, head of the Office of Agriculture and Rural Development of Cao Phong district, said the orange output in the 2023 - 2024 crop is expected to reach about 18,000 - 20,000 tonnes.
Since Cao Phong orange was granted with the geographical indication certification, along with focusing on improving the quality and diversifying products, the district has stepped up the communications work to raise public awareness of preserving the Cao Phong orange brand.
To implement the province's citrus replanting project and another on orange replanting in Cao Phong, the district will first build a sample orange field, which is expected to become a place for farmers and tourists to learn from and visit, he said.
Dao Village’s honey – a product certified with a 3-star OCOP (One Commune One Product) rating by Thong Nhat Agricultural Cooperative in Dao Village (Hoa Binh City) – is highly regarded by consumers for its quality, richness, and variety in packaging. The distinctively sweet taste of Dao Village’s honey leaves a lasting impression on anyone who has tried it.
In alignment with Project No. 07-DA/TU, issued by the Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee on November 1, 2021, Lac Thuy district has actively promoted investment and supported the sustainable development of its industrial and handicraft sectors during the 2021–2025 period. Alongside this, the district has remained committed to preserving and revitalising traditional craft villages.
Located in the northern part of Lac Thuy district, with a temperate climate and fertile soil, Phu Thanh commune has great potential and advantages in growing tea. The long-standing experience, combined with strict adherence to organic farming practices in the tea gardens, ensures that the dried tea products from Phu Thanh and Lac Thuy as a whole are sold out immediately upon production, providing a stable and prosperous life for the local people.
Amid efforts to streamline the administrative apparatus, Hoa Binh province has intensified measures to address challenges in land clearance, resettlement support, and infrastructure investment, aiming to speed up the progress of key projects.
Hoa Binh province has posted an unprecedented economic growth rate of 12.76% in the first quarter of 2025, marking its highest quarterly performance to date and positioning it as the second fastest-growing locality in the country, trailing only Bac Giang province.
Under current regulations, products in the One Commune – One Product (OCOP) programme that are rated three stars or higher must undergo re-evaluation every three months. However, in reality, some of these products fail to consistently meet the required standards, raising concerns about the sustainability of their OCOP certification. This underscores the urgent need for producers to enhance product quality and gradually develop their OCOP products into strong, marketable brands.
