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(HBO) - For last few years, along with forest farming, the livelihood of honey beekeeping has brought about prosperity to the poverty-stricken rural neighbourhoods of Lac Sy (Yen Thuy). This sweet nectar of the forest are enjoying chances of being further promoted as it qualified for standard of 3 star district level One Commune-One Product (OCOP) with viable prospect of provincial level OCOP certification.
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Honey
products by Lac Sy (Yen Thuy) Agricultural Cooperative qualified for district 3
star OCOP certification.
Guided by the villagers, we managed to arrive at the house of
Mr. Bui Van Khoa, Manager of Lac Sy Agricultural Cooperative. As the autumn
coming to an end, the dry weather means most of the flowers are withering,
leading to drops in honey harvests compared to those during summer, he said.
However, during this season the bees can add the sap from acacia and other
plants to their diet, which increase the medical potency of the honey. The wild
flowers nectar and acacia plant sap make Lac Sy honey stand out from other
regions’ products.
Honey beekeeping has been around in Lac Sy since ancient time
as the villagers learnt to relocate wild bees to homemade beehives. By now, the
commune boasts 200 beekeepers, many among them wealthy, such as Mr. Bui Van Nam
family in Thong Nhat hamlet with nearly 100 bee colonies, Mr. Bui Van Chieu in
Sao Vot hamlet with 50 colonies.
Remarkably, since its foundation in late 2019, Lac Sy
Agricultural Cooperative has become a hub spot to help villagers sell their
products. Instead of beekeepers selling their honey at local farmers’ markets
or in neighbouring districts, the cooperative steps in to offer quality
certification and sell the products through interconnected buyers. In 2020, Lac
Sy honey sold via the cooperative amounted to 1.000 litres with prices
fluctuating between 150.000 VND and 200.000 VND per litre.
Mr
Khoa shared his hope that with boosted promotion, Lac Sy honey will soon appear
on the shelves at mainstream supermarkets, big wholesalers and electronic
trading platforms.
According to data from the Hoa Binh Provincial Party Committee, the industrial production index for the first six months of 2025 is estimated to have increased by 20% compared to the same period last year. This marks the highest year-on-year growth rate for this period since 2020.
In the first six months of 2025, Hoa Binh province’s export turnover was estimated at 1.145 billion USD, marking an 18.11% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Import turnover was estimated at $ 804 million, a 17.15% increase, which helped the province maintain a positive trade balance.
The lives of the ethnic minority farmers in Tan Lac district have gradually improved thanks to the new directions in agricultural production. This is a testament to the collective strength fostered through the professional associations and groups implemented by various levels of the district’s Farmers’ Union.
With the motto the "product quality comes first,” after nearly one year of establishment and operation, Muong village’s Clean Food Agricultural and Commercial Cooperative, located in Cau Hamlet, Hung Son Commune (Kim Boi district), has launched reputable, high-quality agricultural products to the market that are well-received by consumers. The products such as Muong village’s pork sausage, salt-cured chicken, and salt-cured pork hocks have gradually carved out a place in the market and they are on the path to obtaining the OCOP certification.
In the past, the phrase "bumper harvest, rock-bottom prices" was a familiar refrain for Vietnamese farmers engaged in fragmented, small-scale agriculture. But today, a new spirit is emerging across rural areas of Hoa Binh province - one of collaboration, organisation, and collective economic models that provide a stable foundation for production.
Maintaining growing area codes and packing facility codes in accordance with regulations is a mandatory requirement for agricultural products to be eligible for export. Recently, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Hoa Binh province has intensified technical supervision of designated farming areas and packing facilities to safeguard the "green passport" that enables its products to access international markets.
