Value chain and competitiveness of OCOP standardized clown knife fish products in Hau Giang province

The study was conducted to analyze the competitiveness of OCOP standardized clown knife fish products in Hau Giang province. The data were collected from 73 observations involved in the clown knife fish value chain. The research results show that most farmers culture knife fish intensively and the feed cost shares the highest proportion of the total production cost. Processed products from knife fish are mainly boneless fish and fish balls. The OCOP knife fish value chain operated through four main distribution channels and included actors: fish farmers, traders, processors, and retailers. The farmers normally sell fresh knife fish to middleman, accounting for 80.15%. The processing factories create and share the highest proportion of added value. The distribution channel that farmers are linked directly with processors create higher added value than others. The study also analyzed the Porter’s five forces of the knife industry. The study found that there are many potential risks in the farming process, high competitive pressures from substitute products, and limited negotiation ability of both farmers and processors.