Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Although Vietnam has many products with geographicalindication (GI) certification, the country has failed to exploit the benefits,according to experts. Hung Yen longan is one example.

There aremany varieties of longan nationwide, but Hung Yen’s ‘long’ longan,known as the fruit for kings, is famous for its thick pulp and sweet taste.

Hung Yen’s long (cage)longan was ranked 13th in the top 50 famous fruits of Vietnam and wasregistered with a national trademark and geographical indication.

However,many consumers still find it difficult to distinguish between Hung Yen longanand longan from other localities.

Bui XuanTam, Director of Ne Chau Longan Cooperative in Hung Yen city’s Hong Nam commune,said longans from other provinces often imitate Hung Yen longan.

“Whenthinking about Hung Yen, consumers immediately think of long longan, but infact, there are nearly a dozen varieties of longan in the province,” he said,adding that the province has created a development strategy for Hung Yen longan.

In thefuture, Hung Yen would recommend growers of delicious longan varieties, whichwere favoured by consumers, and expand the farming in accordance with VietGAP(Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices) standards.

Nguyen VanQuan, head of office of Hung Yen province’s Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, said longan without certificates were cheaper than thosecultivated by renowned producers.

“It was achallenge to manage the sale of longan as they were sold by street vendors,” hesaid.

A surveyconducted by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) showed that only 9.5 percentof enterprises and organisations regularly use GI.

Leadersof the MoIT said enterprises got support in terms of capital during thedevelopment of GI but after that they didn’t know how to take the next step.

Anotherreason was that GI was not granted to the right subject, they said.

GIviolations were still taking place in many localities with specialties like LucNgan lychee, Ngoc Linh ginseng or Phu Quoc fish sauce.

Recently,intellectual property development has been a concern and invested bylocalities. The number of products protected by GI has risen to 73 – mainlyagricultural products such as fruits and seafood.

The GIhas affected the perception of businesses and people about the product’sreputation and value. Therefore, the value and price of the product went upsubstantially.

NguyenXuan Ha from Hoa Binh province’s Cao Phong Orange JSC, said afterobtaining GI, the price of orange doubled compared with before.

Theeconomic value of orange cultivation was raised from 250 million VND to 700million VND (10,800 - 30,000 USD) per one hectare.

In thepast, traders used to bring oranges from other localities to Cao Phong Districtand sold them under this brand. However, Ha said, since the Cao Phong OrangeAssociation was established, the issue has been solved because it was producerswho best knew how to identify counterfeit products and who brought the productsto the localities.

Cha muc HaLong (HaLong grilled squid pie) had a similar experience.

Afterbuilding a brand, the price of the product increased by 13-17 percent, whileconsumption rose by 33-35 percent, creating more jobs for local residents.

Thecurrent trend of the market requires products of clear origin and trademarksprotected by authorities. Therefore, the registration of GI for products isvery important in order to improve their value and competitiveness.

With theregistration of GI, Vietnamese products are protected in the domestic market aswell as have the opportunity to increase export output, particularly todemanding markets like the European Union or Japan.

Effectiveexploitation of GI

The GIregistration is the first step in establishing ownership and legal factorsrelated to local specialties.

In orderto develop sustainably, it is necessary to have close coordination betweenministries, including the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade inbuilding and managing geographical indications, according to Do Thang Hai,deputy minister of industry and trade.

Localities,enterprises and trade associations also play an important role, he said.

Dao TheAnh, Deputy Director of Field Crops Research Institute,said experience from some countries showed that small businesses andenterprises didn’t have enough financial capacity. Thus, the Government willsupport the use of GI through dissemination on these products’ informationto consumers.

Currently,this support is feasible because the country has the "One Product OneCommune" Programme (OCOP). The OCOP programme, which aims at promotinglocal products, would facilitate the exploitation and use of GI.

Once aproduct obtains GI registration, it should be quickly included in the OCOPProgramme to get support in terms of marketing capacity and production as wellas improve its quality, he said./.