Trade promotion centre, TikTok boost digital transformation among OCOP stakeholders
The Vietnam Trade Promotion Centre for Agriculture (Agritrade) on February 28 signed a deal on strategic cooperation with TikTok to improve the digital transformation capacity for the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and cooperatives taking part in the One Commune, One Product (OCOP) programme.
Accordingly, TikTok will co-organise training courses on short video production and the TikTok for Business advertising solutions, open a section for OCOP products on TikTok Shop, and cooperate with Agritrade and other agencies to build marketing programmes for OCOP products as well as related events in 2023.
In particular, TikTok will continue expanding training courses in such provinces as Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Thai Nguyen, Thua Thien-Hue, and Lam Dong. It will also reactivate hashtag #DacSanVietNam on its platform to promote interactions between sellers and buyers.
The diversification of trade promotion methods, including advertising products on digital platforms, is considered a necessary step to boost sellers’ access to buyers and generate bigger economic benefits for localities.
In 2022, TikTok held over 10 local training courses on digital transformation and recorded 200 users opening stores on TikTok Shop to sell more than 500 typical products of localities. Hashtags #OCOP and #DacSanVietNam attracted 305 million and 350 million views, respectively.
Nguyen Lam Thanh, a representative of TikTok Vietnam, said TikTok prioritises long-term activities to assist local enterprises, especially SMEs, to develop business on its digital platform, expected to contribute to the rural economy and help spread local cultural values in and outside the platform.
Nguyen Minh Tien, Director of Agritrade at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), said the positive results last year have consolidated the prospect of OCOP development on digital platforms and encouraged startup initiatives in agriculture and rural affairs.
He expressed his hope that TikTok will bring about new shopping experiences to users, thus opening up opportunities for OCOP stakeholders to get established.
The OCOP programme, initiated by the MARD in 2008, is based on Japan’s “One Village, One Product” programme and Thailand’s “One Tambon, One Product”. It is an economic development programme for rural areas and also to help implement the national target programme on new-style rural area building.
OCOP products are made based on the combination of local resources, traditional culture, and advanced technology. The programme looks to provide farmers with a chance to come together to form cooperatives, enabling them to create goods with higher quality and better design and packaging that meet higher standards and market demand.