The lemongrass essential oil of Dao agricultural cooperative in Thong Nhat village (Hoa Binh city) are packaged in 20 ml bottle with hooks for convenient use.
For a long time, Thong Nhat commune (old) has been the lemongrass growing area in Hoa Binh city. In order to solve the problem of consuming lemongrass for the farmers and the cooperative members, Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh, the director of the Dao agricultural cooperative in Thong Nhat village, has boldly invested in the facilities to distill essential oils from lemongrass trees. Up to now, there has been nearly 200 hectares of the raw material area for lemongrass growing in Thong Nhat ward, specializing in supplying raw materials for Dao agricultural cooperative in Thong Nhat village to distill essential oils.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh says: Lemongrass essential oil is produced in a closed chain from soil preparation, planting, caring, harvesting and distillating into essential oil. After harvesting, the tubers and leaves of lemongrass are cleaned, removing the unqualified leaves and tubers, then they are put in the pot with water to squeeze out the essential oil. The cooperative distills about 3 pots everyday. One ton of raw materials produces about 1.8 - 2.2 liters of essential oil after distillation, and the selling price is 1.8 million VND a liter. On average, the cooperative consumes over 200 liters of essential oil per month. In order to participate in the evaluation and classification of OCOP products at the provincial level, the product must meet the requirements of quality, the certification of food hygiene and safety, the stamps for traceability, codes, barcodes...
Mr. Nguyen Khanh Toan, the owner of Song Da store for the safe agricultural product (Hoa Binh city) says: Song Da store for the safe agricultural product specializes in selling OCOP products of the province, including lemongrass essential oil of Dao cooperative. agriculture in Thong Nhat village. With many good health benefits, the product is packaged in 20ml small glass bottles, selling with the price of 80,000 VND a bottle. It has a very fashionable and convenient hanger to hang in the car, bedroom, or office, so it can be chosen by consumers to use and as gifts. The amount of lemongrass essential oil of Dao agricultural cooperative in Thong Nhat village is increasingly consumed at the store.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh says: Lemongrass essential oil products meeting the provincial 3-star OCOP standard has marked the continuous efforts of the cooperative members, contributing to realizing the aspiration of bringing lemongrass essential oil to domestic markets with the export-oriented trend. Currently, the product has been sold on e-commerce platforms, however, the customer interaction is still low. In the coming time, the cooperative will continue investing in the equipment to upgrade the production processes, innovate designs and packaging. It is necessary to apply the digital technology in production and trade promotion to improve quality and expand product consumption markets.