Vietnam is one of the world's major rice exporters, but it still doesnot have a recognised niche when it comes to the international market.Rice expert Vo Tong Xuan spoke with Hai Quan (Customs) newspaper.
Q: If Vietnam wants to develop trade marks for its rice, what procedures does it have to follow?
A:In my opinion, to develop a trade mark for rice, we should start with avariety no other country grows or a popular variety found in othercountries, but one that tastes much better. Of course, the chosenvariety must be carefully selected and recognised nationwide or in theproduction region.
After successfully selecting avariety, we can start cultivating. Of course, farmers growing thevariety must follow certain procedures. For example, they must sit downand discuss how to prepare the soil, how many kilograms of seed ricethey will use for one sao (360sq.m); what fertilisers to use and so on.
Harvesting time is an important factor for highquality rice. Then it must be partly dried. When the moisture in thegrains is at about 14 percent, milling can start. The final step wouldbe to register the rice with the National Office of IntellectualProperty of Vietnam.
Other point that is alsoimportant during the process of developing a trade mark, is that allplayers involved in the process, including the farmers, rice processorsand export enterprises, must do their best to keep the trade markstable.
Q: There are various players involved in the procedures, but what's the most important player then?
A: In my opinion, the enterprise exporting the rice is the mostimportant player. It has to monitor and oversee the whole procedure fromA to Z, ranging from growing it to selling it. These enterprises mayreceive financial support from the Ministry of Trade and Industrythrough preferential lending policies to buy advanced threshing machinesto cut down the amount of broken rice and to maintain the taste of thegrain.
Other support I must mention comes from theTrade Promotion Department (TPD) under the Ministry of Trade andIndustry. The department's job is to help find markets for theenterprise. In Vietnam, the TPD gives financial support to enterpriseswanting to attend International Trade Fairs to look for clients andlearn experiences in trade promotion from exhibitors.
Q: In the last few years, the Ministry of Trade and Industry hasconducted many trade promotions, yet their effectiveness is limited. Doyou know why?
A: I think our trade promotionactivities have failed to live up to the main idea of taking Vietnameseproducts to trade fairs and comparing them with products from othercountries. For example, Thailand has played host to international ricefairs for several years, but I don't know why Vietnam does not attend,while Cambodia, Thailand, Italy and Japan are represented. The mainreason is that so far we don't have any registered trade marks for ourrice. This is the point. The Ministry of Trade and Industry can helpenterprises create their rice trade marks.
Q: As anexperienced rice researcher, will you please share with us someexperiences on how other countries have developed trade marks for theirrice?
A: Last November, at the sixth InternationalRice Conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's rice was highly valued for itsquality, even better than rice from Thailand. A key factor helpingCambodia to gain such a high reputation was support from theInternational Trade Centre (ITC) through a project to develop a ricetrade mark.
Under the project, the ITC helpedCambodia to define a rice variety which has top quality. Next, the ITCsupported Cambodia in building a most advanced rice mill and taughtCambodian farmers how to grow the special variety. In addition, the ITChelped eight Cambodian enterprises develop procedures on how to grow therice.
However, Vietnamese enterprises do not to payattention to developing their own trade marks. What they do is simplybuy rice from traders. The Department of Trade Promotion doesn't haveany policies to encourage enterprises to develop trade marks forVietnamese rice.-VNA
Q: If Vietnam wants to develop trade marks for its rice, what procedures does it have to follow?
A:In my opinion, to develop a trade mark for rice, we should start with avariety no other country grows or a popular variety found in othercountries, but one that tastes much better. Of course, the chosenvariety must be carefully selected and recognised nationwide or in theproduction region.
After successfully selecting avariety, we can start cultivating. Of course, farmers growing thevariety must follow certain procedures. For example, they must sit downand discuss how to prepare the soil, how many kilograms of seed ricethey will use for one sao (360sq.m); what fertilisers to use and so on.
Harvesting time is an important factor for highquality rice. Then it must be partly dried. When the moisture in thegrains is at about 14 percent, milling can start. The final step wouldbe to register the rice with the National Office of IntellectualProperty of Vietnam.
Other point that is alsoimportant during the process of developing a trade mark, is that allplayers involved in the process, including the farmers, rice processorsand export enterprises, must do their best to keep the trade markstable.
Q: There are various players involved in the procedures, but what's the most important player then?
A: In my opinion, the enterprise exporting the rice is the mostimportant player. It has to monitor and oversee the whole procedure fromA to Z, ranging from growing it to selling it. These enterprises mayreceive financial support from the Ministry of Trade and Industrythrough preferential lending policies to buy advanced threshing machinesto cut down the amount of broken rice and to maintain the taste of thegrain.
Other support I must mention comes from theTrade Promotion Department (TPD) under the Ministry of Trade andIndustry. The department's job is to help find markets for theenterprise. In Vietnam, the TPD gives financial support to enterpriseswanting to attend International Trade Fairs to look for clients andlearn experiences in trade promotion from exhibitors.
Q: In the last few years, the Ministry of Trade and Industry hasconducted many trade promotions, yet their effectiveness is limited. Doyou know why?
A: I think our trade promotionactivities have failed to live up to the main idea of taking Vietnameseproducts to trade fairs and comparing them with products from othercountries. For example, Thailand has played host to international ricefairs for several years, but I don't know why Vietnam does not attend,while Cambodia, Thailand, Italy and Japan are represented. The mainreason is that so far we don't have any registered trade marks for ourrice. This is the point. The Ministry of Trade and Industry can helpenterprises create their rice trade marks.
Q: As anexperienced rice researcher, will you please share with us someexperiences on how other countries have developed trade marks for theirrice?
A: Last November, at the sixth InternationalRice Conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's rice was highly valued for itsquality, even better than rice from Thailand. A key factor helpingCambodia to gain such a high reputation was support from theInternational Trade Centre (ITC) through a project to develop a ricetrade mark.
Under the project, the ITC helpedCambodia to define a rice variety which has top quality. Next, the ITCsupported Cambodia in building a most advanced rice mill and taughtCambodian farmers how to grow the special variety. In addition, the ITChelped eight Cambodian enterprises develop procedures on how to grow therice.
However, Vietnamese enterprises do not to payattention to developing their own trade marks. What they do is simplybuy rice from traders. The Department of Trade Promotion doesn't haveany policies to encourage enterprises to develop trade marks forVietnamese rice.-VNA
